Glutaraldehyde in Hospital Wastewater

Abstract

Glutaraldehyde (GA) solutions are widely used in hospitals to disinfect reusable fiber-optic endoscopes. These solutions are dumped after use in the aquatic environment without any particular safety precautions. Taking into account the quantity of GA consumed daily and the released water volume, the predicted hospital wastewater concentration was estimated at 0.50 mg/L. To measure the real GA concentration present in hospital wastewater, we developed an analytical technique that is simple, sensitive, and reliable. This method consists of a water sample concentration and purification by solid phase extraction and then a spectrophotometric determination. This analytical method was used for a 1-week surveillance program at Rouen University Hospital (2,600 beds). The wastewater tested showed the presence of a concentrated peak approximately eight times higher than the predicted wastewater concentration. The environmental impact of GA release into the aquatic environment was then studied. A predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) < 1 microg/L was calculated. In most situations the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) was found to be <0.5 microg/L taking into account the hospital wastewater dilution in its way to the sewage treatment plant and GA biodegradation. The PEC/PNEC ratio is then < 1, showing that this release are not expected to present a significant risk to the aquatic environment. However in situations of insufficient dilution or of major release, the PEC/PNEC ratio become > 1, and an environmental risk should be expected. An internal prevention program of the various hospital departments to assure GA rational use, and a release spreading would give an additional safety margin to consider GA as safe in terms of environmental risk.

Glutaraldehyde Exposure and its Occupational Impact in the Health Care Environment

“…Nevertheless, GA presents a certain degree of hazard to various organisms. At the broadest level, GA may affect marine life when released into the environment via hospital wastewater (14,15). In the natural environment GA has been shown to be equally toxic to warm water and cold water fish, although slightly less toxic to saltwater fish than freshwater fish (16).…”

Ecotoxicity of hospital wastewaters and their impact on bacterial multi-drug resistance: a review

“…In addition, their physicochemical parameters (following pollutants brought in by various hospital activities) favor the selection of the most resistant bacteria. However, several investigations have shown correlations of heavy metal pollution, antibiotic-resistant genes, and mobile genetic carriers of resistance genes [83][84][85][86]. Indeed, complex transposons are mobile supports favoring the cointegration of genes for resistance to heavy metals and antibiotics as shown in figure 6.…”

In vitro formation and extended culture of highly metabolically active and contractile tissues

“…One of the most common methods of chemical functionalization is polyethylenemine-glutaraldehyde (PEI/GA) crosslinking of collagen to a PDMS mold, although several other techniques exist for varying biomaterials [26]. Importantly, glutaraldehyde surface treatments are associated with potential adverse health risks [27][28][29] and negative environmental impacts [30,31]. Further, PEI/GA treatments are not always successful in immobilizing cell-laden collagen gels during extended culture with high cell densities [32].…”