Sulfamate in environmental waters

Highlights: • Information about the occurrence and fate of sulfamate (sulfamic acid) in the environment is lacking. • We addressed this science gap by analyzing sulfamate in samples of precipitation, surface water, groundwater and wastewater. • Sulfamate was detected in most environmental water samples at concentrations ranging up to 128,000 ng/L. • Contextual information obtained in this study suggests that sulfamate detected in environmental waters is derived from various sources. -- Abstract: Although sulfamate (the anion of sulfamic acid) has been in use for decades in various industrial and other applications, there is no previously published information about its occurrence and fate in environmental waters. In this study sulfamate was widely detected in environmental waters in Ontario, Canada, ranging up to 128,000 ng/L. It was always detected (>100 ng/L) in bulk precipitation samples and streams, it was usually detected in samples of lake water, and often detected in groundwater. Spatial and temporal variations suggest that both widespread atmospheric deposition and localized land-based anthropogenic sources of sulfamate may be important. Lower concentrations or non-detections of sulfamate in waters that had relatively low dissolved oxygen (e.g. some groundwaters) suggest that sulfamate may be degraded in the environment under suboxic or anoxic conditions. Given our findings of a wide distribution of sulfamate in environmental waters, including precipitation, it is not likely to be very useful as a wastewater tracer.