Wastewater-derived organic contaminants in fresh produce: Dietary exposure and human health concerns

Mordechay, Evyatar Ben; Sinai, Tali; Berman, Tamar; Dichtiar, Rita; Boker, Lital Keinan; Tarchitzky, Jorge; Maor, Yehoshua; Mordehay, Vered; Manor, Orly; Chefetz, Benny

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2022.118986

Cited by 25 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Detectable levels of CBZ were found in substantial proportion of examined participants (75.9% of adults, 19.6% of children), none of whom were prescribed with the drug. These findings, along with newly published data (ben Mordechay et al, 2022), strongly suggest that people living in regions with widespread irrigation with treated wastewater are unknowingly exposed to CBZ from the environment. Although environmental levels of CBZ in treated wastewater are 10 4 -10 6 folds lower than clinical doses in the plasma (ng L −1 vs mg L −1 ) (Bernus et al, 1996; Pomati et al, 2006; Qiang et al, 2016; Verlicchi et al, 2012), the possible impact of involuntary chronic human exposure to environmentally persistent pharmaceuticals must be determined.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 58%

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Maternal exposure to environmental levels of carbamazepine induces mild growth retardation in mouse embryos

Douek-Maba

Kalev-Altman

Mordehay

et al. 2023

Preprint

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As chemical pollution is constantly increasing, the impact on the environment and public health must be investigated. This study focuses on the anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine (CBZ), which is ubiquitously present in the environment. Due to its physicochemical properties and stability during wastewater treatment, CBZ is detected in reclaimed wastewater, surface water and groundwater. In water-scarce regions heavily relying on treated wastewater for crop irrigation, CBZ is detected in arable land, produce and even in humans consuming crops irrigated with recealimed wastewater. Although environmental levels of CBZ are very low, risks associated with unintentional exposure to CBZ are essential to be revealed. In perinatal medicine, CBZ is a teratogen; its prescription to pregnant women increases the risk for fetal malformations. This raises the concern of whether environmental exposure to CBZ may also impact embryogenesis. Studies in zebrafish and chick embryos or in cell culture have indicated negative outcomes upon exposure to low CBZ levels. Yet, these systems do not recapitulate the manner by which human fetuses are exposed to pharmaceuticals via maternal uptake. Here, we employed the mouse model to determine whether maternal exposure to environmental-relevant doses of CBZ will impact embryonic development. No effects on fertility, number of gestation sacs, gross embryonic malformations or fetal survival were detected. Yet, embryos were growth-delayed compared to controls (p=0.0011), as manifested in lower embryonic stage and somite number, earlier morphological features and reduction in mitotically-active cells. This study provides the first evidence for the effect of environmental concentration of CBZ on the developmental kinetics of maternally-exposed mammalian embryos. While the developmental delay was relatively modest, its consistency in high number of biological replicates, together with the known implication of developmental delay on post-natal health, calls for further in-depth risk analyses to reveal the effects of pharmaceuticals released to the environment on public health.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Maternal exposure to environmental levels of carbamazepine induces mild growth retardation in mouse embryos

Douek-Maba

Kalev-Altman

Mordehay

et al. 2023

Preprint

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show abstract

“…Plant type has an impact on the potential to uptake and accumulate CECs by the crops, as different crop species have different ability for CEC uptake. Fruit vegetables have the lowest potential for uptake, followed by cereals and fodder crops, root vegetables and, finally, leafy vegetables, which according to current knowledge have the highest potential for uptake (Ben Mordechay et al, 2022b;Christou et al, 2019).…”

Section: Cec Selection For Risk Assessment For Cropsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Selection of indicator contaminants of emerging concern when reusing reclaimed water for irrigation — A proposed methodology

Verlicchi

Grillini

Lacasa

et al. 2023

Science of The Total Environment

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“…When considering irrigation with TWW, it is vital to identify and target the most recalcitrant CECs that can potentially persist in soil and accumulate in crops. Frequently, accumulation occurs in roots and leaves, which are the edible portion of many crops ( Ben Mordechay et. al.…”

Section: Chemical and Microbial Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Israel, carbamazepine has been found more frequently and in higher concentrations in the urine of consumers of produce irrigated with secondary TWW, relative to consumers of freshwater-irrigated produce ( Paltiel et al., 2016 ; Schapira et al., 2020 ). Ben Mordechay et al. (2022b) estimated that in extreme cases, human exposure to carbamazepine and epoxide-carbamazepine via consumption of TWW irrigated produce in Israel may exceed the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for adults.…”

Section: Chemical and Microbial Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigating risks and maximizing sustainability of treated wastewater reuse for irrigation

Yalin,

Craddock,

Assouline

et al. 2023

Water Research X

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Wastewater-derived organic contaminants in fresh produce: Dietary exposure and human health concerns

Cited by 25 publications

References 32 publications

Maternal exposure to environmental levels of carbamazepine induces mild growth retardation in mouse embryos

Maternal exposure to environmental levels of carbamazepine induces mild growth retardation in mouse embryos

Selection of indicator contaminants of emerging concern when reusing reclaimed water for irrigation — A proposed methodology

Mitigating risks and maximizing sustainability of treated wastewater reuse for irrigation

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