RESEARCH TOPICS
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
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