Pharmacologically active substances can enter the aquatic environment via effluents from wastewater treatment plants or in the case of veterinary drugs directly through liquid manure discharge (Fosjeck and al., 2005).
Their presence in aquatic system constitutes a danger for organisms, some of them, such as antibiotic residues are suspected to induce multi-resistance development to bacteria. In some developing countries, there’s no specialized microbial treatments which increases the risk.
Pollution of surface waters with pharmaceutical active ingredients (APIs) and other micropollutants are one of the last challenges for wastewater treatment (the other is the energy efficiency of treatment and costs).
I don’t think there is any evidence that antibiotics generally causes widespread formation of resistant bacteria in wastewater systems, but wastewater contains a lot of resistant bacteria that come from humans. Especially wastewater from hospitals contains a high fraction of multi-resistant bacteria including many pathogenic bacteria. Considering that the big risk of antibiotic resistant bacteria is the bacteria, not the presence of antibiotics in the sewage, the treatment need to solve this problem is to remove the bacteria (disinfection).
A few pharmaceutical active ingredients have been shown to have effect on aquatic life forms. Ethinylestradiol and other steroid hormones and dichlofenac are recognised in the EU chemical regulation as they are both highly potent and not fully degraded in biological wastewater treatment. Many other pharmaceutical active ingredients are potentially harmful to aquatic life, but are not considered to be of environmental concern because they degrade in typical (western) wastewater treatment systems (e.g. ibuprofen). The majority of the pharmaceutical active ingredients (APIs) and other micropollutants can be removed by a large fraction by any wastewater treatment that provides an effective removal of biodegradable organic material (BOD removal rate).
Septic tanks followed by constructed wetlands or pond systems with or without constructed wetlands are robust solution that work well in the tropic conditions which doesn’t require continuous maintenance by skilled staff and a good electricity supply while they provides a reasonable disinfection and oxidation of BOD.
Any treatment that removes bacteria from the wastewater and removed organic material will help for pharmaceutical active ingredients (APIs) and other micropollutants compared to no treatment so it the best strategy is to get as much treatment as is technically and economically possible that one estimate can be maintained.
Pollution of surface waters with pharmaceutical active ingredients (APIs) and other micropollutants are one of the last challenges for wastewater treatment (the other is the energy efficiency of treatment and costs).
I don’t think there is any evidence that antibiotics generally causes widespread formation of resistant bacteria in wastewater systems, but wastewater contains a lot of resistant bacteria that come from humans. Especially wastewater from hospitals contains a high fraction of multi-resistant bacteria including many pathogenic bacteria. Considering that the big risk of antibiotic resistant bacteria is the bacteria, not the presence of antibiotics in the sewage, the treatment need to solve this problem is to remove the bacteria (disinfection).
A few pharmaceutical active ingredients have been shown to have effect on aquatic life forms. Ethinylestradiol and other steroid hormones and dichlofenac are recognised in the EU chemical regulation as they are both highly potent and not fully degraded in biological wastewater treatment. Many other pharmaceutical active ingredients are potentially harmful to aquatic life, but are not considered to be of environmental concern because they degrade in typical (western) wastewater treatment systems (e.g. ibuprofen). The majority of the pharmaceutical active ingredients (APIs) and other micropollutants can be removed by a large fraction by any wastewater treatment that provides an effective removal of biodegradable organic material (BOD removal rate).
Septic tanks followed by constructed wetlands or pond systems with or without constructed wetlands are robust solution that work well in the tropic conditions which doesn’t require continuous maintenance by skilled staff and a good electricity supply while they provides a reasonable disinfection and oxidation of BOD.
Any treatment that removes bacteria from the wastewater and removed organic material will help for pharmaceutical active ingredients (APIs) and other micropollutants compared to no treatment so it the best strategy is to get as much treatment as is technically and economically possible that one estimate can be maintained.
Dear Yanick Simon,
The preventive measures for the Aquatic Environment in Developing Countries, where the specialised microbial treatments are not available, may include the following :
(a) Protecting the Aquatic Environment form all sources of pollution from the wastes with microbial origin.
(b) Limiting the destructive anthropogenic activities, which are responsible for microbial growth in the Aquatic Environment.
(c) In case of already polluted Aquatic Environment, all sorts Treatment / Remediation (preferably Bio-remediation) activities should be undertaken to contain the BOD in Aquatic Environment. But this not an easy job to be accomplished.
(d) A long term Action Plan to sustain the Natural Health of the Aquatic Environment.
However, although I am in agreement with the views of Henrik Andersen that Pharmacologically Actice Substances such as Antibiotics are not likely to create resistant Bacteria, yet I would like to focus another point that such substances may eventually initiate a conducive environment for microbial growth, which also hampers the process to contain the BOD in waste water system. That is why, the Disinfection should invariably be a mandatory option for treatment of waste water system.
Thanking You.
With Regards.
Nripendra Kumar Sarma
Guwahati, Assam, India
Dear Colleague,
Our countries are very close and I believe that could be useful for you two of our papers, although not so recent, for your question and research.
Regards,
Paula Suarez
Thank you so much for your replies and files. I am very interesting particularly the second file. Thanks again.
I am looking for someone who can do a stastical analysis of these data. I do not have a sofware and aldo do not know how to do it. Are these results significante in term of probability? Best regards,
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Chemistry
- Pharmacology