(F) 21 - Pharmaceuticals

Question 1

Methods used to detect pharmaceuticals in water and wastewater and most common detected pharmaceuticals (ex. endocrine disruptors, antibiotics)

Answer 1

Liquid Chromatography / Mass Spectroscopy / Mass spectroscopy

1. Endocrine Disruptors: toxicants that interfere with the endocrine system, causing excessive amounts OR suppression of hormones, usually either synthetic hormones, or hormone-mimics. Work by:
   A) mimicking or antagonizing the effects of hormones
   B) Altering the pattern of synthesis and the metabolism of hormones
   C) Modifying hormone receptor levels
   Results in: infertility, sexual underdevelopment, altered sexual behaviour, attention deficit, altered thyroid fxn, increased incidents of cancer, birth defects
2. Antibiotics
   - effectively removed by CHLORINATION; but not all water is chlorinated bc FARM WASTE ISN’T TREATED LIKE HUMAN WASTE
   - Organisms take the meds, don’t absorb the entirety of it, and it gets flushed into wastewater

Question 2

Fate of pharmaceuticals in the environment (human waste, farm waste)

Question 3

Impacts on wildlife (ex. studies on fish and frogs), and potentially humans (antibiotic resistance)

Answer 3

SSRIs and Wildlife
- can reduce predator-avoidance behaviour; minnows didn’t hide but swam faster

Synthetic Estrogen and Wildlife
- found in birth control pills in the form of ethinyl estradiol (EE)
- toxic to aquatic organisms
- can induce vitellogenin (egg yolk protein) production in male fish

Atrazine (Endocrine disruptor) and Wildlife
- induces complete feminization and chemical castration in male African clawed frogs

Antibiotic Resistance and Humans
- high concerns
- for now, harmful effects to humans from pharmaceuticals is otherwise not observed

Question 4

Wastewater treatments that can remove pharmaceuticals: how each works, pollutants targeted, pros and cons)

Answer 4

QUATERNARY TREATMENTS
*problem: expensive

1. Ozonation
   - infusion of ozone into water; really good at disinfecting and inactivating pathogens
   - ozone produced by ozone generator that exposes O2 to high electrical voltage; reactor bubbles ozone into water
2. Advanced oxidation
   - use oxidative agents to destroy variety of organic compounds
   - get biodegradable compounds and furthermore, water, carbon dioxide, and inorganic salts
3. Activated carbon
   - filter surface made of carbon absorbs contaminants
   - effective in removing micropollutants
   - not good for microbial content or heavy metals
4. Nanofiltration
   - can remove everything other methods can’t (ex. bacteria, viruses, proteins, monovalent and multivalent ions)
5. Reverse osmosis
   - push water with more solutes under pressure through a semi-permeable membrane

Question 5

Possible solutions

Answer 5

1. Reducing pharmaceuticals where possible
   - decrease use in farm animals to reduce pharmaceutical waste and risk of antibiotic resistance
2. Promote proper disposal
   - ENVIRx program