New study evaluated if predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of pharmaceuticals (based on pharmaceutical usage data, degree of metabolism in humans, removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and environmental dilution), reflect actual measured environmental concentrations (MECs) in two rivers of different sizes and demographics.
The presence of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems in the United States and Europe is well documented. Pharmaceuticals are designed to induce a biochemical response at very low concentrations, raising questions regarding the risk for unintended sublethal effects in exposed non-target organisms.
There are approximately 3,500 compounds currently being evaluated for pharmaceutical production in the United States and more than 1,400 pharmaceuticals that had obtained Food and Drug Administration approval as of the end of 2013. Acute ecotoxicity data are available for only a small portion of these compounds, and chronic toxicity data are even scarcer. In addition, little is known about the ultimate environmental fate of most pharmaceuticals.
These knowledge gaps prevent a full understanding of the effects of pharmaceuticals, if any, on non-target organisms in the environment. To fill these gaps experimentally, however, would require substantial economic investment. Prioritization methodologies provide a complementary approach to strategically identify which of the thousands of pharmaceuticals in use have the greatest potential to cause unintended outcomes in nontarget organisms.
Prioritization methods are commonly used but the representativeness of these approaches is currently unclear. Risk-based prioritization methods require an exposure prediction, which is commonly based on a simple algorithm to derive a PEC. The estimation of PECs is typically based on pharmaceutical usage data, degree of metabolism in humans, removal in WWTPs, and environmental dilution. This method was used to calculate the PECs in this study.
As part of an international study investigating urban contaminants, targeted monitoring was done in a single snapshot for 95 pharmaceuticals at 8 sites on the Rivers Foss and Ouse in the City of York, United Kingdom, during medium flow conditions. Twenty-five pharmaceuticals were detected in the water samples collected. The PECs were estimated for the 25 detected pharmaceuticals and compared with MECs in collected river samples.
A comparison of PECs to MECs indicates relative similarity in the smaller River Foss but not in the larger River Ouse. The demographics within the River Foss watershed are well defined, whereas the area within the River Ouse watershed has more complex demographics, such as inputs from tourism or post-secondary institutions, which may influence wastewater loading estimates used in the PEC estimations.
Prioritization of pharmaceuticals based on common modelling approaches representative of environmental data is important to streamline future efforts to understand the actual, as compared to the perceived, health risks of pharmaceutical exposure to humans and other organisms.
This study is part of a larger effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Program to provide information that will help resource managers understand how to effectively minimize potential risks to the health of humans and other organisms exposed to pharmaceuticals and other chemicals through recreation, drinking water, and other exposure routes.
This research was funded by the European Union's Seventh Framework Program for research, technological development, and demonstration under grant agreement no. 608014 (CAPACITIE), and by the USGS Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
Related research is listed below.
Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team
Assessing Environmental Chemical Mixtures in United States Streams
Personal Care Products, Pharmaceuticals, and Hormones Move from Septic Systems to Local Groundwater
Chemicals Found in Treated Wastewater are Transported from Streams to Groundwater
Neuroactive Pharmaceuticals in Minnesota Rivers
Complex Mixture of Contaminants Persists in Streams Miles from the Source
Manufacturing Facilities Release Pharmaceuticals to the Environment
National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams is Making an Impact
Below are publications associated with this research.
Are exposure predictions, used for the prioritization of pharmaceuticals in the environment, fit for purpose?
- Overview
New study evaluated if predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of pharmaceuticals (based on pharmaceutical usage data, degree of metabolism in humans, removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and environmental dilution), reflect actual measured environmental concentrations (MECs) in two rivers of different sizes and demographics.
The presence of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems in the United States and Europe is well documented. Pharmaceuticals are designed to induce a biochemical response at very low concentrations, raising questions regarding the risk for unintended sublethal effects in exposed non-target organisms.
There are approximately 3,500 compounds currently being evaluated for pharmaceutical production in the United States and more than 1,400 pharmaceuticals that had obtained Food and Drug Administration approval as of the end of 2013. Acute ecotoxicity data are available for only a small portion of these compounds, and chronic toxicity data are even scarcer. In addition, little is known about the ultimate environmental fate of most pharmaceuticals.
A PhD fellow from the University of York measuring pharmaceutical concentrations in samples collected from the Rivers Foss and Ouse, United Kingdom, during her work at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Laboratory. Photo Credit: Stephen L. Werner, USGS. These knowledge gaps prevent a full understanding of the effects of pharmaceuticals, if any, on non-target organisms in the environment. To fill these gaps experimentally, however, would require substantial economic investment. Prioritization methodologies provide a complementary approach to strategically identify which of the thousands of pharmaceuticals in use have the greatest potential to cause unintended outcomes in nontarget organisms.
Prioritization methods are commonly used but the representativeness of these approaches is currently unclear. Risk-based prioritization methods require an exposure prediction, which is commonly based on a simple algorithm to derive a PEC. The estimation of PECs is typically based on pharmaceutical usage data, degree of metabolism in humans, removal in WWTPs, and environmental dilution. This method was used to calculate the PECs in this study.
As part of an international study investigating urban contaminants, targeted monitoring was done in a single snapshot for 95 pharmaceuticals at 8 sites on the Rivers Foss and Ouse in the City of York, United Kingdom, during medium flow conditions. Twenty-five pharmaceuticals were detected in the water samples collected. The PECs were estimated for the 25 detected pharmaceuticals and compared with MECs in collected river samples.
A comparison of PECs to MECs indicates relative similarity in the smaller River Foss but not in the larger River Ouse. The demographics within the River Foss watershed are well defined, whereas the area within the River Ouse watershed has more complex demographics, such as inputs from tourism or post-secondary institutions, which may influence wastewater loading estimates used in the PEC estimations.
Prioritization of pharmaceuticals based on common modelling approaches representative of environmental data is important to streamline future efforts to understand the actual, as compared to the perceived, health risks of pharmaceutical exposure to humans and other organisms.
This study is part of a larger effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Program to provide information that will help resource managers understand how to effectively minimize potential risks to the health of humans and other organisms exposed to pharmaceuticals and other chemicals through recreation, drinking water, and other exposure routes.
This research was funded by the European Union's Seventh Framework Program for research, technological development, and demonstration under grant agreement no. 608014 (CAPACITIE), and by the USGS Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
- Science
Related research is listed below.
Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team
The team studies toxicants and pathogens in water resources from their sources, through watersheds, aquifers, and infrastructure to human and wildlife exposures. That information is used to develop decision tools that protect human and wildlife health.Assessing Environmental Chemical Mixtures in United States Streams
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are collaborating on a field-based study of chemical mixture composition and environmental effects in stream waters affected by a wide range of human activities and contaminant sources.Personal Care Products, Pharmaceuticals, and Hormones Move from Septic Systems to Local Groundwater
Pharmaceuticals, hormones, personal care products, and other contaminants of concern associated with everyday household activities were found in adjacent shallow groundwater near two septic system networks in New York (NY) and New England (NE). Factors influencing movement to shallow groundwater and the types of chemicals found include population served by a septic system, site conditions such as...Chemicals Found in Treated Wastewater are Transported from Streams to Groundwater
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists studying a midwestern stream conclude that pharmaceuticals and other contaminants in treated wastewater effluent discharged to the stream are transported into adjacent shallow groundwater. Other mobile chemicals found in wastewater are expected to have similar fates.Neuroactive Pharmaceuticals in Minnesota Rivers
A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Colorado measured seven neuroactive pharmaceutical compounds in treated wastewater and downstream receiving waters at 24 sites across Minnesota. The analysis of samples collected upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plants indicated that wastewater treatment plants were the major source of these chemicals.Complex Mixture of Contaminants Persists in Streams Miles from the Source
Natural processes in stream ecosystems such as dilution and microbial degradation are known to attenuate some contaminants to below levels that can cause harm to ecosystems. However, a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists has shown that many chemicals discharged from municipal wastewater treatment facilities persist for miles downstream at levels known, or suspected, to cause adverse...Manufacturing Facilities Release Pharmaceuticals to the Environment
In a 2004-2009 study, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities can be a significant source of pharmaceuticals to the environment. Effluents from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that receive discharge from pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities (PMFs) had 10 to 1000 times higher concentrations of pharmaceuticals than effluents from 24...National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams is Making an Impact
The USGS's National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals in U.S. Streams is making an impact in the scientific and regulatory communities. - Publications
Below are publications associated with this research.
Are exposure predictions, used for the prioritization of pharmaceuticals in the environment, fit for purpose?
Prioritization methodologies are often used for identifying those pharmaceuticals that pose the greatest risk to the natural environment and to focus laboratory testing or environmental monitoring toward pharmaceuticals of greatest concern. Risk-based prioritization approaches, employing models to derive exposure concentrations, are commonly used, but the reliability of these models is unclear. ThAuthorsEmily E. Burns, Jane Thomas-Oates, Dana W. Kolpin, Edward T. Furlong, Alistair B.A. Boxall