Occurrence of 17α-ethinylestradiol in Paranoá Lake watershed (Brasília, Brazil): sewage, freshwater and treated water

Abstract

Emerging contaminants such as 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) can be discharged from sewage systems and contaminate water supplies. Paranoá Lake is a strategic water reservoir in Brasília (Brazil) that receives treated sewage from sewage treatment plants (STPs) and has recently become a water supply. This study monitored EE2 residues in different matrices from Paranoá Lake watershed using the ELISA method. This monitoring was performed together with the local environmental agency in two periods. EE2 was detected in all sewage samples showing that this residue is continually being discharged into the lake. However, EE2 was found in only one freshwater sample (0.07 ng L-1), which is below the predicted no-effect concentration considered as a risk for aquatic animals. EE2 was not detected in treated water. Nevertheless, the increased use of freshwater as a water supply signals the need for continuous EE2 monitoring in the lake.

Risco ambiental provocado por resíduos de medicamentos na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, durante a pandemia por SARS-Cov19

“…A redução de seu consumo em 2020 e 2021 se justifica pela priorização das unidades de saúde no atendimento de casos graves de COVID e de síndrome respiratória aguda-grave (SRAG) 46 , apesar de não ter havido desabastecimento durante esse período. Neste trabalho, estamos considerando a farmacocinética somente do 17α-etinilestradiol, pois diversos autores vêm apontando seus efeitos deletérios na biota selvagem aquática 17,36,47,48 , o que justifica seu baixo valor de PNEC (0,000035 μg/L). Esse fármaco foi incluído neste estudo como parâmetro de comparação do seu risco ambiental estimado em relação aos demais fármacos 49 .…”

“…A Tabela 2 mostra a quantidade de cada medicamento diariamente excretada pela urina (QFexc) e sua concentração estimada no esgoto (PECest). Como efeito de comparação, foi realizada uma revisão da literatura sobre os valores de PEC desses seis fármacos 17,[59][60][61][62] .…”

“…Esses compostos são denominados poluentes emergentes, pois ainda não existe regulamentação quanto à sua segurança no meio ambiente 17 . Seus efeitos podem ser observados em baixíssimas concentrações (ng/L) e em diferentes espécies aquáticas [18][19][20][21][22][23] .…”

Environmental risk caused by drug waste in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the SARS-Cov19 pandemic

“…Notably, there was no supply shortage during this period. Our study considered only the pharmacokinetics of 17α-ethinylestradiol, given that several studies have reported its harmful effects on wild aquatic biota 17,36,47,48 , which would explain its low PNEC value (0.000035 μg/L). This drug was included in our study as a parameter for comparing its estimated environmental risk with respect to the other drugs 49 .…”

“…These compounds are called emerging contaminants, and there are no regulations regarding their environmental threats 17 . The effects can be observed in very low concentrations (ng/L) and in various aquatic species [18][19][20][21][22][23] .…”