Hospitals and households as primary emission sources for risk-posing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater
A wide range of pharmaceutical residues is known to occur in the environment. While they are released into surface waters mainly through centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), their primary emission sources are located upstream in the sewer network. Information on emissions from different...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023-09-01
|
| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014765132300653X |
| _version_ | 1797744143764553728 |
|---|---|
| author | Lauri Äystö Niina Vieno Päivi Fjäder Jukka Mehtonen Taina Nystén |
| author_facet | Lauri Äystö Niina Vieno Päivi Fjäder Jukka Mehtonen Taina Nystén |
| author_sort | Lauri Äystö |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A wide range of pharmaceutical residues is known to occur in the environment. While they are released into surface waters mainly through centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), their primary emission sources are located upstream in the sewer network. Information on emissions from different types of primary emission sources is scarce. However, such information could help direct emission reduction measures more efficiently. In this study, we analysed the concentrations of selected active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in wastewater samples taken from altogether ten sites, covering primary emission sources (hospitals and households), and conventional WWTPs. The concentrations in WWTP effluents were used to identify APIs causing risk in recipient waterbodies. Furthermore, the API loads from households and hospitals were compared to those reaching the WWTP in mixed influents. Our results confirm previously published observations of several pharmaceuticals exceeding their predicted no-effect concentrations in effluent wastewaters. Moreover, the concentrations of most of the analysed APIs are comparatively high in hospital wastewaters, resulting in elevated risk quotients. While the total API loads are relatively low from primary emission sources, owing to the low wastewater volume generated at those sites, per capita emissions were shown to be several times higher at hospital sites than at household sites for APIs such as metronidazole, trimethoprim, and ofloxacin. These findings indicate, that directing emission reduction measures to hospitals could be an effective way to decrease the loads of several risk-posing APIs into the environment, especially where hospital contribution to overall wastewater flow to WWTPs is high. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:05:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-91db3c3d2afd46d5bf86e032e6947a1b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0147-6513 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:05:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj.art-91db3c3d2afd46d5bf86e032e6947a1b2023-08-13T04:51:46ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132023-09-01262115149Hospitals and households as primary emission sources for risk-posing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewaterLauri Äystö0Niina Vieno1Päivi Fjäder2Jukka Mehtonen3Taina Nystén4Finnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; Corresponding author.Laki ja Vesi ltd, Läntinen Rantakatu 37 C 40, 20100 Turku, FinlandFinnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki, FinlandFinnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki, FinlandFinnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki, FinlandA wide range of pharmaceutical residues is known to occur in the environment. While they are released into surface waters mainly through centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), their primary emission sources are located upstream in the sewer network. Information on emissions from different types of primary emission sources is scarce. However, such information could help direct emission reduction measures more efficiently. In this study, we analysed the concentrations of selected active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in wastewater samples taken from altogether ten sites, covering primary emission sources (hospitals and households), and conventional WWTPs. The concentrations in WWTP effluents were used to identify APIs causing risk in recipient waterbodies. Furthermore, the API loads from households and hospitals were compared to those reaching the WWTP in mixed influents. Our results confirm previously published observations of several pharmaceuticals exceeding their predicted no-effect concentrations in effluent wastewaters. Moreover, the concentrations of most of the analysed APIs are comparatively high in hospital wastewaters, resulting in elevated risk quotients. While the total API loads are relatively low from primary emission sources, owing to the low wastewater volume generated at those sites, per capita emissions were shown to be several times higher at hospital sites than at household sites for APIs such as metronidazole, trimethoprim, and ofloxacin. These findings indicate, that directing emission reduction measures to hospitals could be an effective way to decrease the loads of several risk-posing APIs into the environment, especially where hospital contribution to overall wastewater flow to WWTPs is high.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014765132300653XPharmaceuticalsWastewaterHospitalsRisk quotientPrimary emission sources |
| spellingShingle | Lauri Äystö Niina Vieno Päivi Fjäder Jukka Mehtonen Taina Nystén Hospitals and households as primary emission sources for risk-posing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Pharmaceuticals Wastewater Hospitals Risk quotient Primary emission sources |
| title | Hospitals and households as primary emission sources for risk-posing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater |
| title_full | Hospitals and households as primary emission sources for risk-posing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater |
| title_fullStr | Hospitals and households as primary emission sources for risk-posing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hospitals and households as primary emission sources for risk-posing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater |
| title_short | Hospitals and households as primary emission sources for risk-posing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater |
| title_sort | hospitals and households as primary emission sources for risk posing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater |
| topic | Pharmaceuticals Wastewater Hospitals Risk quotient Primary emission sources |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014765132300653X |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lauriaysto hospitalsandhouseholdsasprimaryemissionsourcesforriskposingpharmaceuticalsinmunicipalwastewater AT niinavieno hospitalsandhouseholdsasprimaryemissionsourcesforriskposingpharmaceuticalsinmunicipalwastewater AT paivifjader hospitalsandhouseholdsasprimaryemissionsourcesforriskposingpharmaceuticalsinmunicipalwastewater AT jukkamehtonen hospitalsandhouseholdsasprimaryemissionsourcesforriskposingpharmaceuticalsinmunicipalwastewater AT tainanysten hospitalsandhouseholdsasprimaryemissionsourcesforriskposingpharmaceuticalsinmunicipalwastewater |