Assessment of the possibility of secondary water pollution during its purification in filtering jugs

The research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the overflow filters. In a 2.0 dm³ filter jug, 5 dm³ of tap water was filtered daily for one month. The effectiveness of the filters was evaluated based on physic-chemical parameters, that is, the degree of water hardness, pH, chloride content, absor-bance, color, and total organic carbon. Taking into account the discussed parameters, it was found that after just two weeks of filter operation, it ceases to fulfill its function. Then, the occurrence of micropollutants in the obtained filtrates was also evaluated. For this purpose, the filtrates obtained for a new filter, a working filter for a month and a filter operating for three months were subjected to a GC-MS chromatographic analysis preceded by solid-phase extraction. The filtrates obtained from working inserts for one month and three months showed, inter alia, the presence of trace amounts of substances included in detergents and personal care products (ethylene brassylate, thymol, tributyl citrate), derivatives of pharmaceutical compounds (methyl ester diclofenac) and industrial admix-tures (diisooctyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate). The source of these substances in the filtered water is the user himself and the products and objects with which the user has a contact in everyday life. In addition, toxicological analysis of the filtration samples was carried out, which showed their non-toxic nature at every stage of the research.