A Human Health Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in the Aquatic Environment

Schulman, Lisa; Sargent, Edward V.; Naumann, Bruce D.; Faria, Ellen C.; Dolan, David G.; Wargo, John P.

doi:10.1080/20028091057141

Cited by 84 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…This would explain why it was only observed for clofibric acid, which was resistant to biodegradation. The recalcitrant nature of clofibric acid is consistent with the known persistence of this compound in the environment (Daughton and Ternes, 1999;Winkler et al, 2001;Schulman et al, 2002;Emblidge and DeLorenzo, 2006). It is acknowledged that molecular structure can play a significant role in the recalcitrance of xenobiotics (Alexander and Aleem, 1961;Hammond and Alexander, 1972;Karthikeyan et al, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

The effect of structure and a secondary carbon source on the microbial degradation of chlorophenoxy acids

Evangelista¹,

Cooper²,

Yargeau³

2010

Chemosphere

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a b s t r a c tPseudomonas putida, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas flourescens, Sphingomonas herbicidovorans and Rhodococcus rhodochrous growing on glucose in a medium containing one of three chlorophenoxy acids at a concentration of 0.1 g L À1 (clofibric acid, (R)-2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)propionic acid (mecoprop or MCPP) and 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA)) degraded these compounds to varying degrees; from nonmeasurable to almost complete removal. These results with the addition of glucose (2.5 g L À1) as an easy to use carbon source indicated the formation of metabolites different from results reported in the literature for growth studies in which the chlorophenoxy acid was the sole carbon source. The metabolite, 4-chloro-2-methylphenol, which had been reported previously, was only observed in trace amounts for MCPP and MCPA in the presence of S. herbicidovorans and glucose. In addition, three other compounds (M1, M3 and M4) were observed. It is suggested that these unidentified metabolites resulted from ring opening of the metabolite 4-choloro-2-methylphenol (M2).The rate of biodegradation of the chlorophenoxy acids was influenced by the degree of steric hindrance adjacent to the internal oxygen bond common to all three compounds. The most hindered compound, clofibric acid, was converted to ethyl clofibrate by R. rhodochrous but was not degraded by any microorganisms studied. The more accessible internal oxygen bonds of the other two chlorophenoxy acids, MCPP and MCPA, were readily broken by S. herbicidovorans.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

The effect of structure and a secondary carbon source on the microbial degradation of chlorophenoxy acids

Evangelista¹,

Cooper²,

Yargeau³

2010

Chemosphere

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“…In a study which did include groundwater, Schulman et al (2002) assessed the risk to human health for 4 representative pharmaceuticals: acetylsalicylic acid, clofibrate, cyclophosphamide, and indomethacin which have been detected in aqueous environmental media including WTW effluent, surface water, drinking water, and groundwater. The toxicological and pharmacological nature, exposure assessment, and environmental fate and transport of each pharmaceutical were considered.…”

Section: Risk Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of risk from potential emerging contaminants in UK groundwater

Stuart

Lapworth

Crane

et al. 2012

Science of The Total Environment

662

284

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This paper provides a review of the types of emerging organic groundwater contaminants (EGCs) which are beginning to be found in the UK. EGCs are compounds being found in groundwater that were previously not detectable or known to be significant and can come from agricultural, urban and rural point sources. EGCs include nanomaterials, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial compounds, personal care products, fragrances, water treatment by-products, flame retardants and surfactants, as well as caffeine and nicotine. Many are relatively small polar molecules which may not be effectively removed by drinking water treatment. Data from the UK Environment Agency's groundwater screening programme for organic pollutants found within the 30 most frequently detected compounds a number of EGCs such as pesticide metabolites, caffeine and DEET. Specific determinands frequently detected include pesticides metabolites, pharmaceuticals including carbamazepine and triclosan, nicotine, food additives and alkyl phosphates. This paper discusses the routes by which these compounds enter groundwater, their toxicity and potential risks to drinking water and the environment. It identifies challenges that need to be met to minimise risk to drinking water and ecosystems.

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“…De nombreux micropolluants sont toutefois peu épurés et se retrouvent dans le milieu naturel sans que leur impact sur ce dernier ne soit véritablement connu. Les problèmes relatifs à la gestion de ces micropolluants et des substances à risque font ainsi parti des grandes préoccupations actuelles (Ayscough et al, 2000 ;Schulman et al, 2002 ;Garric et Ferrari, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified