Pharmaceutical Pollution Flashcards
What are the 3 steps in detecting pharmaceutical pollution?
- liquid chromatography
- IDs compounds by the way they separate - mass spectroscopy
- analyze the ions, further break them down into diff ions - mass spectroscopy again
what are 4 commonly detected pharmaceuticals?
- estradiol (synthetic estrogen)
- SSRIs (antidepressants)
- antibiotics
- beta-blockers
endocrine disruptors=
toxicants that interfere with the endocrine system usually either synthetic hormones or hormone mimics
endocrine disruptors exert their effects by:
1
2
3
- mimicking or antagonizing the effects of hormones
- altering the pattern of synthesis and the metabolism of hormones
- modifying hormone receptor levels
give 2 examples of endocrine mimics and 1 example of a synthetic hormone
- PCBs (used industrially in paint etc)
- DDT
- estradiol
list 5 glands of the endocrine system
(these can all be harmed by endocrine disruptors)
- pituitary gland
- thyroid gland
- pancreas
- ovaries
- testes
how do endocrine-disrupting chemicals act?
- hormone= key to unlocking cells (via receptor) for the desired response
- hormone mimic= can also fit into the receptor, and causes the cell to react when it shouldn’t (thinks it’s a hormone)
what health issues can endocrine disruption cause?
- infertility
- sexual underdevelopment
- birth defects
- cancers
and more
____ ____ and ____ are the pharmaceutical detected the most
endocrine disruptors and antibiotics
antibiotics can show up in wastewaters but can be removed by _____ (but that has some negative effects too)
chlorination
____ is replacing chlorine use (in treating wastewater for antibiotics) because it creates fewer byproducts= has fewer negative effects
chloramine
how do pharmaceuticals end up in wastewaters? (eventually groundwater/ drinking water)
humans and animals excrete them
*animal waste isn’t treated like human waste is
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) had what effect on fish?
- reduces predator-avoidance behavior (seeking shelter)
- swam faster, had a higher heart rate
- this could change behaviors/ structure of entire food webs (and bioaccumulate!)
eg. fathead minnows and sertraline (an SSRI)
____ ___ is a synthetic estrogen and the most commonly found-form
what’s it used for?
why is it problematic?
ethinyl estrogen (EE)
contraceptive
more persistent than other forms of estrogen
An ELA lake was exposed to ethinyl estrogen for 7 years and the changes to fathead minnow populations were tracked.
What was observed?
vitellogenin!
= yolk protein in female eggs that’s caused by estrogen
- not usually found in males!
- male fish had all reproductive parts, and effectively bred as females
- very problematic b/c there were no males left in the population to breed
vitellogenin=
a protein (synthesized in liver) that’s a precursor for yolk protein in female eggs
- caused by estrogen
- not usually found in males
Did the male fathead minnows recover the ability to develop sperm after EE exposure stopped?
yes!
3 years of exposure= presence of eggs in testes
4 years after exposure stopped: normal sperm cells in testes
Atrazine is an endocrine disruptor.
What effect did it have on frogs?
male frogs were chemically castrated and completely feminized as adults (could reproduce with control group males)
what is the margin of exposure (MOE) approach?
used to measure impacts to humans
ratio of
no observed adverse effect level (in animals)
divided by:
predicted or estimated human exposure level
___ MOE= lower risk
____ MOE= higher risk
higher value= lower risk
lower value= higher risk
Describe the study that was done on drinking water for England and Wales
used a MOE approach with conservative estimates of threshold doses
- NSAIDS were of concern but it was a problem with the study (used min dose of one NSAID compared to exposure of all)
describe the study on drinking water that was done by the American Water Works Association
compared Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) values to values measured in drinking water
- even with a conservative approach, none of the compounds tested got close to ADI values ([ ] were very high)
Harmful effects to humans from pharmaceutical pollution is entirely unlikely for now
false
probably unlikely for now, EXCEPT:
antibiotic resistance, because we’re continuously exposed to them
_____ wastewater treatment can remove 20-90% of pharmaceuticals
What can be done additionally to remove up to 99%?
secondary
Quaternary treatment:
- ozonation (ozone acts as a disinfectant)
- advanced oxidation
- activated carbon
- reverse osmosis
- nanofiltration
Ozonation is a method of ____ wastewater treatment. How does it work to remove pharmaceuticals?
quaternary
- subject oxygen to very high voltage and UV
- directly attacks and destroys microorganism cells
- can also treat metallic ions: separate from the rest of the wastewater
basically ozone acts as a disinfectant
Advanced Oxidation is a method of ____ wastewater treatment. How does it work to remove pharmaceuticals?
quaternary
- add an oxidative agent to toxic pollutants= turns them into biodegradable compounds
- add an oxidative agent to these biodegradable compounds= byproducts are water, CO2, and inorganic salts
good for remediation of soil
example of an oxidative agent= hydrogen peroxide
which 2 quaternary wastewater treatments are often used together?
ozonation and advanced oxidation
Activated Carbon is a method of ____ wastewater treatment. How does it work to remove pharmaceuticals?
quaternary
It’s a filtration method:
- the spaces in the filter attract organic compounds (like micropollutants) and the filter holds it
- must remove & clean filter regularly
- doesn’t work for metals etc
Reverse Osmosis is a method of ____ wastewater treatment. How does it work to remove pharmaceuticals?
U-shaped container holding the contaminated water, semi-permeable membrane in the middle bottom
more contaminants on the left side, so apply pressure on that side
water wants to flow the other way, but pressure forces it through the membrane which catches pollutants
water on the right is cleaned!
Nanofiltration is a method of ____ wastewater treatment. How does it work to remove pharmaceuticals?
pressure is used to force contaminated water through a semi-permeable nanofiltration membrane
removes nearly all bacteria/ viruses/ organic matter, etc
- don’t need to apply much energy
- less expensive
- can remove really tiny things
What’s the biggest issue with quaternary treatment?
it’s too expensive!
most places just don’t use it
What are 2 solutions to reducing the pharmaceuticals in our waste?
reduce SOME usage (keep taking your medication though)
- things like anti-biotics should be used sparsely, especially in animals
- dispose of excess drugs properly (ENVIRx takeback program in AB)- don’t put them down the drain or into the garbage!
