EMA Lecture 9 Flashcards
What is a contaminant?
Substance released due to human activity
What is a pollutant (compared to contaminant)
A pollutant causes a biological effect
What is POP?
Persistent Organic Pollutants are chemical substances that are toxic, persist in environment for long periods of time, bioaccumulate in food chain, and cause health risk to humans and environment
What is an effect of toxins in the environment?
-Impact the physiology or behaviour of an organism and reduce growth, reproduction or survival
-Can indirectly reduce prey species
What are some everyday exposure routes of toxins?
Dermal exposure (skin)
Accumulation
Transfer (mother to child)
Oral exposure
Inhalation exposure
What are some anthropogenic sources of toxic pollutants
-Industrial effluent
-Oil spills
-Pesticide in agricultural runoff
-Sewage waste
-Hazardous waste
-Combustion
What is CAS
Registry of chemicals
How many chemicals are registered with CAS?
171 million unique organic and inorganic chemical substances
What does EU legislation require in relation to medicines for human or animal use?
-They must be subjected to an environmental risk assessment
-Only compulsory for new products since 30th October 2005
What questions are asked about new medicinal drugs in relation to the environment?
-How much of drug will enter the environment
-How will organisms be affected from exposure
-Is the environmental risk acceptable
What are the three exposure assessment rates at different spatial scales for PEC?
-Local
-Regional
-European
What does PEC stand for?
Predicted Environmental Concentration
What does PNEC stand for?
Predicted No-Effect Concentration
What is the acceptable risk concentration?
PEC/PNEC <1
What is an unacceptable risk concentration?
PEC/PNEC >1
What does ERA stand for?
European Research Area
What can information from an ERA be used for?
-Compare the relative environmental risk of different drugs
-Minimise the amount of medicinal product released into the environment
-Identify guidelines for proper use and disposal for consumers
What are some issues in risk assessments?
-Organisms are exposed to low levels over long periods of time - hard to replicate in lab
-Toxicity tests are acute tests, short
-More information is needed on chronic toxicity
What is an additive drug reaction?
Occurs when the combined effect of two drugs is equal to the sum of each drug being given alone
1 + 1 = 2
Name an example of additive drug interactions
Heparin and alcohol will increase bleeding
What is drug synergism?
Occurs when drugs interact with each other and produce an effect that is greater than the sum of their separate actions
1 + 1 = 3
What’s an example of synergism drug interaction
Nicotine and alcohol
What is an antagonistic drug reaction?
Occurs when one drug interferes with the action of another, causing neutralisation or a decrease in effect of the other drug
Why are pesticides used?
Public health, mosquitoes
How many species of Anopheles carry a protozoan parasite that causes malaria?
60 out 380