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Impact of Emergent Contaminants in the Environment: Environmental Risk Assessment

  • Chapter
Emerging Contaminants from Industrial and Municipal Waste

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC5,volume 5 / 5S / 5S/1))

Abstract

Human pharmaceuticals enter the environment mainly through regular domestic use. Their presence in the aquatic environment has been recorded in the range ng L−1 to μgL−1. Knowledge of the risk associated with the use of pharmaceuticals involves establishing the ratio between predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) and predicted no effect concentration (PNECs). The European Union (EMEA) and USA (FDA) have implemented two-tiered strategies for environmental risk assessment (ERA) of pharmaceuticals. Advances in analytical techniques have allowed us to measure pharmaceuticals in the environmental compartment and the refinement of ERA. On the other hand, for calculation of PNECs, acute and chronic toxicity tests are employed; a critical analysis of the available information was carried out, indicating that acute toxicity was only likely for spills, although an exception to this general behavior is shown by endocrine-active substances. Studies including mixtures of pharmaceuticals are not common in the study of pharmaceutical effects. Only for a limited number of drugs, are the ecotoxicity data available adequate for risk assessment. Selection of model compounds with a priori knowledge about the target biological compounds, and the selection of species, life stages and endpoints would be helpful. New technologies such as proteomics and genomics could be valuable resources to be included in the framework of pharmaceutical environmental risk assessment.

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Abbreviations

AF:

Assessment factor

BAF:

Bioaccumulation factor

CPMP:

Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products

EC50:

Effect concentration 50%

EE2:

Ethynilestradiol

EEC:

Expected environmental concentration

EIC:

Expected introduction concentration

EMC:

Endocrine modulating chemicals

EMEA:

European Medicines Agency

ERMS:

European Risk Management Strategy

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

GMOs:

Genetically modified organisms

ICH:

International Conference on Harmonization of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use

ISO:

International Organization for Standardization

LC50 :

Lethal concentration 50%

LC-MS:

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

LOQ:

Limit of quantification

NOEC:

No observed effect concentration

OA:

Oxolonic acid

OECD:

Organization for Economic and Cooperation Development

OTC:

Oxytetracycline

PBDEs:

Polybromated diphenylethers

PEC:

Predicted environmental concentration

PNEC:

Predicted no effect concentration

PPCPs:

Pharmaceutical and personal care products

QSARs:

Quantitative structure—activity relationships

SSRI:

Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors

STP:

Sewage treatment plant

TGD:

Technical Guide Document in Support of Commission Directive 93/67/EEC

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (CSIC), Campus Río San Pedro, 11510, Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain

    Julián Blasco

  2. Departamento Química-Física, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, 11510, Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain

    Angel DelValls

Authors
  1. Julián Blasco
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  2. Angel DelValls
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Correspondence to Julián Blasco .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Environmental Chemistry, IIQAB - CSIC, Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Damià Barceló  & Mira Petrovic  & 

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Blasco, J., DelValls, A. (2008). Impact of Emergent Contaminants in the Environment: Environmental Risk Assessment. In: Barceló, D., Petrovic, M. (eds) Emerging Contaminants from Industrial and Municipal Waste. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 5 / 5S / 5S/1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74795-6_5

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