Elevated concentrations of sulfamate, the anion of sulfamic acid, were found in surface waters and finished drinking water in Germany with concentrations up to 580 μg/L and 140 μg/L, respectively. Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent was identified as the dominant source of sulfamate in the urban water cycle, as sulfamate concentrations correlated positively (0.77 > r < 0.99) with concentrations of the wastewater tracer carbamazepine in samples from different waterbodies. Ozonation and activated sludge experiments proved that sulfamate can be formed from chemical and biological degradation of various precursors. Molar sulfamate yields were highly compound-specific and ranged from 2% to 56%. However, the transformation of precursors to sulfamate in WWTPs and wastewater-impacted waterbodies was found to be quantitatively irrelevant, since concentrations of sulfamate in these compartments are already high, presumably due to its primary use as an acidic cleaning agent. Sulfamate concentrations in the influent and effluent of studied WWTPs ranged from 520 μg/L to 1900 μg/L and from 490 μg/L to 1600 μg/L, respectively. Laboratory batch experiments were performed to assess the recalcitrance of sulfamate for chemical oxidation. In combination with the results from sampling conducted at full-scale waterworks, it was shown that common drinking water treatment techniques, including ozonation and filtration with activated carbon, are not capable to remove sulfamate. The results of biodegradation tests and from the analysis of samples taken at four bank filtration sites indicate that sulfamate is attenuated in the sediment/water interface of aquatic systems and during aquifer passage under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Sulfamate concentrations decreased by between 62% and 99% during aquifer passage at the bank filtration sites. Considering the few data on short term ecotoxicity, about 30% of the presented sulfamate levels in ground and surface water samples did exceed the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) of sulfamate, and thus effects of sulfamate on the aquatic ecosystem of wastewater-impacted waterbodies in Germany cannot be excluded so far. Toxicological estimations suggest that no risk to human health is expected by concentrations of sulfamate typically encountered in tap water.

在德国的地表水和成品饮用水中发现的氨基磺酸盐（氨基磺酸的阴离子）浓度升高，分别高达580μg/ L和140μg/ L。废水处理厂（WWTP）废水被确定为城市水循环中氨基磺酸盐的主要来源，因为不同水体样品中的氨基磺酸盐浓度与废水示踪剂卡马西平的浓度呈正相关（0.77> r <0.99）。臭氧化和活性污泥实验证明，各种前体的化学和生物降解均可形成氨基磺酸盐。摩尔磺酸盐的产率是高度化合物特异性的，范围为2％至56％。但是，发现污水处理厂和受废水影响的水体中前体向氨基磺酸盐的转化在数量上是不相关的，因为氨基磺酸盐在这些隔室中的浓度已经很高，可能是由于其主要用作酸性清洁剂。被研究的污水处理厂进水和出水中的氨基磺酸盐浓度分别为520μg/ L至1900μg/ L和490μg/ L至1600μg/ L。进行了实验室分批实验，以评估氨基甲酸酯对化学氧化的抑制作用。结合在大型水厂进行的采样结果表明，普通的饮用水处理技术（包括臭氧化和活性炭过滤）无法去除氨基磺酸盐。生物降解测试的结果以及对在四个河岸过滤点采集的样品的分析表明，在有氧和厌氧条件下，氨基磺酸盐在水生系统的沉积物/水界面以及含水层通过过程中被减弱。在堤岸过滤部位的含水层通过期间，氨基磺酸盐浓度降低了62％至99％。考虑到短期生态毒性的数据很少，地下水和地表水样品中约30％的氨基磺酸盐水平确实超过了氨基磺酸盐的预测无效应浓度（PNEC），因此，氨基磺酸盐对废水影响的水生生态系统的影响到目前为止，不能排除德国的水体。毒理学估计表明，自来水中通常遇到的氨基磺酸盐浓度不会对人体健康造成任何威胁。