PHARMACEUTICALS

24,000 drugs are approved for human and veterinary use in Canada - some of these are being found in wastewater and agricultural runoff.

A wide variety of substances contained in pharmaceuticals and personal care products have been found in the environment, as documented in recent studies in Europe and the United States.

Municipal sewage and agricultural and aquaculture wastes have been identified as sources of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, such as antibiotics, blood lipid regulators, analgesics, anti-inflammatories, antiepileptics, natural and synthetic hormones, fragrances (musks), nonylphenol ethoxylates, disinfectants and antiparasiticides.

Evidence is mounting that species continuously exposed to low levels of some of these chemicals in the environment could experience adverse health effects, including disruption of development and reproduction. Concern is growing also about the enhancement of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

As yet, there is little environmental information on the exposure and effects of these chemicals.

NWRI Research

NWRI is providing scientific leadership and expertise to a federal government initiative to assess the extent and effects of therapeutic products in the Canadian environment.

NWRI researchers are working with government departments, universities, and international colleagues to develop and validate methods to measure pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, in the environment and provide the scientific information need for assessing their risks.

In the Great Lakes basin, scientists are carrying out large-scale sampling of agricultural plots, sewage treatment plants, and receiving waters to determine whether selected human and veterinary pharmaceuticals and other therapeutic and cosmetic compounds are discharged to the aquatic environment in concentrations that may pose a risk to aquatic life.

In the Prairies, NWRI is investigating the persistence of two antibiotics - spectinomycin and lincomycin - in liquid hog manure and in soil injected with liquid hog manure as a plant nutrient source. Researchers will assess the potential for these antibiotics to be transported in surface runoff from manure-treated cropland and to move by leaching/preferential flow to ground waters.

In laboratory studies, researchers are using rotating annular bioreactors to assess the impact of pharmaceuticals on river biofilms. In tests of ibuprofen, carbamazepine, furosemide, and caffeine, results of an 8-week experiment suggest that even at 10 parts per billion, pharmaceuticals appear to exhibit both nutrient-like and toxic effects on microbial communities.

To learn more, visit these web sites:

Pharmaceuticals workshop Exec. Summary: http://www.nwri.ca/announce/pharmaceuticals-e.html

The Role of Antibiotics in Agriculture:
http://www.asm.org/Academy/index.asp?bid=2114