Determination of pharmaceutical compounds in hospital effluents and their contribution to wastewater treatment works

Langford, Katherine; Thomas, Kevin V.

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2009.02.007

Cited by 191 publications

(113 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In fact, more pronounced contributions were described in literature for antibiotics (Beier et al, 2011;Ort et al, 2010;Thomas et al, 2007;Verlicchi et al, 2012a), reaching, in some cases, contributions as high as 272% (ciprofloxacin) (Thomas et al, 2007), 94% (clarithromycin) (Beier et al, 2011) or 67% (azithromycin) (Verlicchi et al, 2012a). On the other hand, for some of the most consumed analgesics/NSAIDs (for instance, ibuprofen, diclofenac or acetaminophen) hospital contribution reported in literature did not exceed 15% (Beier et al, 2011;Langford and Thomas, 2009;Thomas et al, 2007;Verlicchi et al, 2012a), which is in agreement with our results in what concern to ibuprofen and diclofenac (contribution up to 4.2 and 9.5%, respectively) (data not shown), however for acetaminophen, the contribution of university and general hospitals went to 483 and 115%, respectively (data not shown). Nevertheless, the X-ray contrast agent iopromide, which had a mean total mass load of approximately 303 g d − 1 coming from hospital effluents, only contributed with approximately 13% of its total mass load found in WWTP influent, though Ort et al (2010) reported a minor contribution (less than 5%).…”

Section: Occurrence Of Pharmaceuticals In Urban Wastewaters: Loads Imentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Nevertheless, few data is available on the contribution of hospital effluents towards the load of pharmaceuticals in WWTPs (Beier et al, 2011;Langford and Thomas, 2009;Ort et al, 2010;Thomas et al, 2007;Verlicchi et al, 2012a). At the same time, available data regarding the environmental risk posed by hospital effluents to aquatic organisms is still sparse and often limited to predicted (Escher et al, 2011;Souza et al, 2009) rather than measured concentrations (Verlicchi et al, 2012a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contribution of hospital effluents to the load of pharmaceuticals in urban wastewaters: Identification of ecologically relevant pharmaceuticals

Santos

Gros²,

Rodríguez-Mozaz³

et al. 2013

Science of The Total Environment

535

216

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The impact of effluent wastewaters from four different hospitals: a university (1456 beds), a general (350 beds), a pediatric (110 beds) and a maternity hospital (96 beds), which are conveyed to the same wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), was evaluated in the receiving urban wastewaters. The occurrence of 78 pharma-ceuticals belonging to several therapeutic classes was assessed in hospital effluents and WWTP wastewaters (influent and effluent) as well as the contribution of each hospital in WWTP influent in terms of pharmaceu-tical load. Results indicate that pharmaceuticals are widespread pollutants in both hospital and urban waste-waters. The contribution of hospitals to the input of pharmaceuticals in urban wastewaters widely varies, according to their dimension. The estimated total mass loadings were 306 g d − 1 for the university hospital, 155 g d − 1 for the general one, 14 g d −1 for the pediatric hospital and 1.5 g d − 1 for the maternity hospital, showing that the biggest hospitals have a greater contribution to the total mass load of pharmaceuticals. Fur-thermore, analysis of individual contributions of each therapeutic group showed that NSAIDs, analgesics and antibiotics are among the groups with the highest inputs. Removal efficiency can go from over 90% for pharmaceuticals like acetaminophen and ibuprofen to not removal for β-blockers and salbutamol. Total mass load of pharmaceuticals into receiving surface waters was estimated between 5 and 14 g/d/1000 inhabitants. Finally, the environmental risk posed by pharmaceuticals detected in hospital and WWTP effluents was assessed by means of hazard quotients toward different trophic levels (algae, daphnids and fish). Several pharmaceuticals present in the different matrices were identified as potentially hazardous to aquatic organ-isms, showing that especial attention should be paid to antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, sulfameth-oxazole, azithromycin and clarithromycin, since their hazard quotients in WWTP effluent revealed that they could pose an ecotoxicological risk to algae.

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Section: Occurrence Of Pharmaceuticals In Urban Wastewaters: Loads Imentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of hospital effluents to the load of pharmaceuticals in urban wastewaters: Identification of ecologically relevant pharmaceuticals

Santos

Gros²,

Rodríguez-Mozaz³

et al. 2013

Science of The Total Environment

535

216

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These emerging pollutants are continuously introduced into the aquatic environment by several emissions from manufacturing facilities, consumer use and disposal, and hospital waste (Langford and Thomas 2009;Philips et al 2010). Even though the detected concentrations are typically in the nanogram-to microgram-per-liter range, it cannot be excluded that molecules designed to be biologically active affect sensitive aquatic organisms even at such low concentrations (Huber et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paracetamol in the environment and its degradation by microorganisms

Zhang

Chen

2012

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

245

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Paracetamol (4′-hydroxyacetanilide, N-acetyl-paminophenol, acetaminophen, and paracetamol) is a widely used over-the-counter analgesic and antipyretic drug. Paracetamol and structural analogs are ubiquitous in the natural environment and easily accumulate in aquatic environment, which have been detected in surface waters, wastewater, and drinking water throughout the world. Paracetamol wastewater is mainly treated by chemical oxidation processes. Although these chemical methods may be available for treating these pollutants, the harsh reaction conditions, the generation of secondary pollutants, and the high operational cost associated with these methods have often made them not a desirable choice. Biodegradation of paracetamol is being considered as an environmentally friendly and low-cost option. The goal of this review is to provide an outline of the current knowledge of biodegradation of paracetamol in the occurrence, degrading bacteria, and proposed metabolic/ biodegrading pathways, enzymes and possible intermediates. The comprehensive understanding of the metabolic pathways and enzyme systems involved in the utilization of paracetamol means will be helpful for optimizing and allowing rational design of biodegradation systems for paracetamol-contaminated wastewater.

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“…These emerging pollutants are continuously introduced into the aquatic environment by several emissions from manufacturing facilities, consumer use and disposal, and hospital waste (Langford and Thomas 2009;Philips et al 2010). Even though the detected concentrations are typically in the nanogram-to microgram-perliter range, it cannot be excluded that molecules designed to be biologically active affect sensitive aquatic organisms even at such low concentrations (Huber et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation of paracetamol by pure bacterial cultures and their microbial consortium

Zhang

Zhu

et al. 2012

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

146

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Three bacterial strains utilizing paracetamol as the sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source were isolated from a paracetamol-degrading aerobic aggregate, and assigned to species of the genera Stenotrophomonas and Pseudomonas. The Stenotrophomonas species have not included any known paracetamol degraders until now. In batch cultures, the organisms f1, f2, and fg-2 could perform complete degradation of paracetamol at concentrations of 400, 2,500, and 2,000 mg/L or below, respectively. A combination of three microbial strains resulted in significantly improved degradation and mineralization of paracetamol. The co-culture was able to use paracetamol up to concentrations of 4,000 mg/L, and mineralized 87.1 % of the added paracetamol at the initial of 2,000 mg/L. Two key metabolites of the biodegradation pathway of paracetamol, 4-aminophenol, and hydroquinone were detected. Paracetamol was degraded predominantly via 4-aminophenol to hydroquinone with subsequent ring fission, suggesting new pathways for paracetamol-degrading bacteria. The degradation of paracetamol could thus be performed by the single isolates, but is stimulated by a synergistic interaction of the three-member consortium, suggesting a possible complementary interaction among the various isolates. The exact roles of each of the strains in the consortium need to be further elucidated.

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Determination of pharmaceutical compounds in hospital effluents and their contribution to wastewater treatment works

Cited by 191 publications

References 13 publications

Contribution of hospital effluents to the load of pharmaceuticals in urban wastewaters: Identification of ecologically relevant pharmaceuticals

Contribution of hospital effluents to the load of pharmaceuticals in urban wastewaters: Identification of ecologically relevant pharmaceuticals

Paracetamol in the environment and its degradation by microorganisms

Degradation of paracetamol by pure bacterial cultures and their microbial consortium

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