Sweeteners Stay in Groundwater Sources

Posted on May 27, 2009 in Consumer Goods, The Environment

The sweetener in your diet soda may end up a scientist’s marker for pollution, according to a new study published in Environmental Science & Technology. Since artificial sweeteners pass through the human body virtually unchanged, researchers can look for the substance to determine sources of groundwater pollution.

Contaminated groundwater can come from a variety of sources, including industry, agricultural fields, traffic and homes. Swiss environmental chemist Ignaz Buerge and colleagues wondered if artificial sweeteners might help narrow down the cause of contamination, and collected both treated and untreated samples from 10 wastewater treatment plants to test the theory. They also collected urban groundwater, tap water and water from four rivers and eight lakes near Zurich.

In each sample, the researchers looked for commonly used sweeteners, all but one used in the United States. A significant amount of one of these sweeteners, acesulfame K, survived the wastewater treatment process unharmed. Levels of acesulfame increased proportionately in bodies of water like lakes and rivers as human population went up, which means it may help scientists track pollution.

The sweetener was also found in 65 of 100 groundwater samples and in small amounts in tap water. Although levels are too low to be of concern to human health, it has yet to be determined whether acesulfame could impact fish or the environment.