Pharmaceutical Pollution

Question 1

What are the 3 steps in detecting pharmaceutical pollution?

Answer 1

1. liquid chromatography
   - IDs compounds by the way they separate
2. mass spectroscopy
   - analyze the ions, further break them down into diff ions
3. mass spectroscopy again

Question 2

what are 4 commonly detected pharmaceuticals?

Answer 2

• estradiol (synthetic estrogen)
• SSRIs (antidepressants)
• antibiotics
• beta-blockers

Question 3

endocrine disruptors=

Answer 3

toxicants that interfere with the endocrine system usually either synthetic hormones or hormone mimics

Question 4

endocrine disruptors exert their effects by:
1
2
3

Answer 4

1. mimicking or antagonizing the effects of hormones
2. altering the pattern of synthesis and the metabolism of hormones
3. modifying hormone receptor levels

Question 5

give 2 examples of endocrine mimics and 1 example of a synthetic hormone

Answer 5

1. PCBs (used industrially in paint etc)
2. DDT
3. estradiol

Question 6

list 5 glands of the endocrine system
(these can all be harmed by endocrine disruptors)

Answer 6

1. pituitary gland
2. thyroid gland
3. pancreas
4. ovaries
5. testes

Question 7

how do endocrine-disrupting chemicals act?

Answer 7

• 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)

Question 8

what health issues can endocrine disruption cause?

Answer 8

• infertility
• sexual underdevelopment
• birth defects
• cancers

and more

Question 9

____ ____ and ____ are the pharmaceutical detected the most

Answer 9

endocrine disruptors and antibiotics

Question 10

antibiotics can show up in wastewaters but can be removed by _____ (but that has some negative effects too)

Answer 10

chlorination

Question 11

____ is replacing chlorine use (in treating wastewater for antibiotics) because it creates fewer byproducts= has fewer negative effects

Answer 11

chloramine

Question 12

how do pharmaceuticals end up in wastewaters? (eventually groundwater/ drinking water)

Answer 12

humans and animals excrete them
*animal waste isn’t treated like human waste is

Question 13

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) had what effect on fish?

Answer 13

• 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)

Question 14

____ ___ is a synthetic estrogen and the most commonly found-form
what’s it used for?
why is it problematic?

Answer 14

ethinyl estrogen (EE)

contraceptive

more persistent than other forms of estrogen

Question 15

An ELA lake was exposed to ethinyl estrogen for 7 years and the changes to fathead minnow populations were tracked.

What was observed?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

vitellogenin=

Answer 16

a protein (synthesized in liver) that’s a precursor for yolk protein in female eggs
- caused by estrogen
- not usually found in males

Question 17

Did the male fathead minnows recover the ability to develop sperm after EE exposure stopped?

Answer 17

yes!

3 years of exposure= presence of eggs in testes
4 years after exposure stopped: normal sperm cells in testes

Question 18

Atrazine is an endocrine disruptor.
What effect did it have on frogs?

Answer 18

male frogs were chemically castrated and completely feminized as adults (could reproduce with control group males)

Question 19

what is the margin of exposure (MOE) approach?

Answer 19

used to measure impacts to humans

ratio of

no observed adverse effect level (in animals)
divided by:
predicted or estimated human exposure level

Question 20

___ MOE= lower risk

____ MOE= higher risk

Answer 20

higher value= lower risk

lower value= higher risk

Question 21

Describe the study that was done on drinking water for England and Wales

Answer 21

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)

Question 22

describe the study on drinking water that was done by the American Water Works Association

Answer 22

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)

Question 23

Harmful effects to humans from pharmaceutical pollution is entirely unlikely for now

Answer 23

false
probably unlikely for now, EXCEPT:
antibiotic resistance, because we’re continuously exposed to them

Question 24

_____ wastewater treatment can remove 20-90% of pharmaceuticals

What can be done additionally to remove up to 99%?

Answer 24

secondary

Quaternary treatment:
- ozonation (ozone acts as a disinfectant)
- advanced oxidation
- activated carbon
- reverse osmosis
- nanofiltration

Question 25

Ozonation is a method of ____ wastewater treatment. How does it work to remove pharmaceuticals?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Advanced Oxidation is a method of ____ wastewater treatment. How does it work to remove pharmaceuticals?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

which 2 quaternary wastewater treatments are often used together?

Answer 27

ozonation and advanced oxidation

Question 28

Activated Carbon is a method of ____ wastewater treatment. How does it work to remove pharmaceuticals?

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Reverse Osmosis is a method of ____ wastewater treatment. How does it work to remove pharmaceuticals?

Answer 29

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!

Question 30

Nanofiltration is a method of ____ wastewater treatment. How does it work to remove pharmaceuticals?

Answer 30

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

Question 31

What’s the biggest issue with quaternary treatment?

Answer 31

it’s too expensive!
most places just don’t use it

Question 32

What are 2 solutions to reducing the pharmaceuticals in our waste?

Answer 32

reduce SOME usage (keep taking your medication though)

1. things like anti-biotics should be used sparsely, especially in animals
2. dispose of excess drugs properly (ENVIRx takeback program in AB)- don’t put them down the drain or into the garbage!