Carbamazepine Levels Related to the Demographic Indicators in Groundwater of Densely Populated Area
Consumption of pharmaceuticals by people is growing. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is an extensively used anti-epileptic drug that is recalcitrant to degradation. As a result, CBZ has been widely detected in the aquatic ecosystem due to its daily consumption and drainage in sewage systems. Leakages from sewag...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/18/2539 |
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| author | Salma Ebrahimzadeh Sara Castiglioni Francesco Riva Ettore Zuccato Arianna Azzellino |
| author_facet | Salma Ebrahimzadeh Sara Castiglioni Francesco Riva Ettore Zuccato Arianna Azzellino |
| author_sort | Salma Ebrahimzadeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Consumption of pharmaceuticals by people is growing. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is an extensively used anti-epileptic drug that is recalcitrant to degradation. As a result, CBZ has been widely detected in the aquatic ecosystem due to its daily consumption and drainage in sewage systems. Leakages from sewage networks and septic tanks may represent one of the main sources of CBZ in groundwater. In this study, CBZ concentrations in groundwater and their correlations with the demographic structure of the population were investigated in the densely populated Milan urban area. Seventy-six demographic variables were retrieved from the Italian Population and Housing census. Twenty-one groundwater samples were collected from unconfined and semi-confined aquifers of the Milan area and the concentration of CBZ was measured. Groundwater CBZ levels in both aquifers were associated with the demographic data within a circular buffer with a radius of 1.5 km. All data were analyzed using a multivariate statistical approach. The results showed a significant association (<i>p</i> < 0.05) between CBZ concentrations and specific demographic segments of the population. Higher CBZ concentrations were found to be associated with the population aged 70 years and over (aging index), and with families having children aged under 5 years (family index). In addition, the divorce index was correlated with the high concentration of CBZ, whereas the educated and sexagenarian population showed a negative correlation. Our results indicated that the contamination of CBZ follows the same pattern in unconfined and semi-confined aquifers, which are used for drinking water purposes in Milan area. Therefore, changing the CBZ consumption pattern or replacing CBZ with other drugs may strongly influence groundwater contamination of the investigated area. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:07:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-57c28329555d4957bf969795876271f7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:07:38Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-57c28329555d4957bf969795876271f72023-11-22T15:40:57ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412021-09-011318253910.3390/w13182539Carbamazepine Levels Related to the Demographic Indicators in Groundwater of Densely Populated AreaSalma Ebrahimzadeh0Sara Castiglioni1Francesco Riva2Ettore Zuccato3Arianna Azzellino4Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Institute di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Institute di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Institute di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, ItalyConsumption of pharmaceuticals by people is growing. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is an extensively used anti-epileptic drug that is recalcitrant to degradation. As a result, CBZ has been widely detected in the aquatic ecosystem due to its daily consumption and drainage in sewage systems. Leakages from sewage networks and septic tanks may represent one of the main sources of CBZ in groundwater. In this study, CBZ concentrations in groundwater and their correlations with the demographic structure of the population were investigated in the densely populated Milan urban area. Seventy-six demographic variables were retrieved from the Italian Population and Housing census. Twenty-one groundwater samples were collected from unconfined and semi-confined aquifers of the Milan area and the concentration of CBZ was measured. Groundwater CBZ levels in both aquifers were associated with the demographic data within a circular buffer with a radius of 1.5 km. All data were analyzed using a multivariate statistical approach. The results showed a significant association (<i>p</i> < 0.05) between CBZ concentrations and specific demographic segments of the population. Higher CBZ concentrations were found to be associated with the population aged 70 years and over (aging index), and with families having children aged under 5 years (family index). In addition, the divorce index was correlated with the high concentration of CBZ, whereas the educated and sexagenarian population showed a negative correlation. Our results indicated that the contamination of CBZ follows the same pattern in unconfined and semi-confined aquifers, which are used for drinking water purposes in Milan area. Therefore, changing the CBZ consumption pattern or replacing CBZ with other drugs may strongly influence groundwater contamination of the investigated area.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/18/2539pharmaceutical pollutioncarbamazepinemultivariate statistical analysisdemographic information |
| spellingShingle | Salma Ebrahimzadeh Sara Castiglioni Francesco Riva Ettore Zuccato Arianna Azzellino Carbamazepine Levels Related to the Demographic Indicators in Groundwater of Densely Populated Area Water pharmaceutical pollution carbamazepine multivariate statistical analysis demographic information |
| title | Carbamazepine Levels Related to the Demographic Indicators in Groundwater of Densely Populated Area |
| title_full | Carbamazepine Levels Related to the Demographic Indicators in Groundwater of Densely Populated Area |
| title_fullStr | Carbamazepine Levels Related to the Demographic Indicators in Groundwater of Densely Populated Area |
| title_full_unstemmed | Carbamazepine Levels Related to the Demographic Indicators in Groundwater of Densely Populated Area |
| title_short | Carbamazepine Levels Related to the Demographic Indicators in Groundwater of Densely Populated Area |
| title_sort | carbamazepine levels related to the demographic indicators in groundwater of densely populated area |
| topic | pharmaceutical pollution carbamazepine multivariate statistical analysis demographic information |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/18/2539 |
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