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Environmental Health: Pharmaceuticals and other Emerging Contaminants in the Water

Environmental Health: Pharmaceuticals and other Emerging Contaminants in the Water. Paige Novak Civil Engineering University of Minnesota. June 12, 2010 National Caucus of Environmental Legislators 3rd Annual Mississippi River States Environmental Forum. How does water become contaminated?.

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Environmental Health: Pharmaceuticals and other Emerging Contaminants in the Water

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  1. Environmental Health: Pharmaceuticals and other Emerging Contaminants in the Water Paige Novak Civil Engineering University of Minnesota June 12, 2010 National Caucus of Environmental Legislators 3rd Annual Mississippi River States Environmental Forum

  2. How does water become contaminated? Industrial Chemicals Pharmaceuticals (birth control, antidepressants, caffeine) Lawn Chemicals Surfactants Pesticides Herbicides Hormones Partial removal

  3. What is the problem? Endocrine disruptors, phytoestrogens, estrogenic compounds, and other pharmaceuticals have been observed in streams and wastewater treatment plant discharges throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia e.g., Jobling et al., 1998; Ternes et al., 1999; Holbrook et al., 2002; Kolpin et al., 2002; Joss et al., 2004; Pojana et al., 2004; Lundgren and Novak, 2009

  4. What compounds are present? • DEET • Triclosan • Bisphenol A • Caffeine • Phytoestrogens • OTC medications (acetaminophen) • Antibiotics (trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin) • Estrogens (estradiol, estriol, estrone)

  5. USGS measured concentration of 95 Organic Wastewater Contaminants (OWCs)in water samples from a network of 139 streams across 30 states during 1999 and 2000 Kolpin et al., 2002. ES&T, 36:1202-1211.

  6. What is the problem? • A recent study that looked at 19 drinking water utilities found OWC as well; commonly found: • Carbamazapine (anticonvulsant) • Estrone (estrogen) • Gemfibrozil (antilipodemic) • Sulfamethoxazole & trimethoprim (antibiotics) • TCEP (flame retardant) • Benotti et al., 2009, ES&T

  7. What are some effects? Fish feminization Intersex 0% 19% Vajda et al., 2008

  8. What are some effects? • A recent paper showed intersex fish across the country (Hincket al., 2009) • 73% of the smallmouth bass caught at Lake City, MN were intersex From Hincket al., 2009

  9. At WWTP outfall 3 ng/g 210 ng/L 0.6 ng/g 40 ng/L 1.8 ng/g 102 ng/L FourmileCreek, IA 1.2 ng/g 20 ng/L 8 km below outfall Schultz et al., 2010

  10. What are some other effects? • Triclosan alters tadpole development at environmentally-relevant concentrations • Triclosan reacts with sunlight to form several dioxins • Estrogens and wastewater treatment plant effluent changes the behavior and reproductive efficacy of fathead minnows • Prozac (fluoxetine) and its metabolite (norfluoxetine) induce spawning in freshwater mussels • Ethynylestradiol (in birthcontrol pills) was shown to cause near-extinction of fathead minnows at environmentally-relevant concentrations • Genistein exposure in-utero has been shown to lead to obesity later in life in rats

  11. Hormones • Chemical signals pass through the blood and bind to cells in the target organ; initiates physiochemical response • Crucial for reproductive function, development, also immune function, adult diseases (obesity, diabetes) Natural hormone Receptor Physiochemical response Target cell Secreting cell

  12. Hormones • Chemical signals pass through the blood and bind to cells in the target organ; initiates physiochemical response • Crucial for reproductive function, development, also immune function, adult diseases (obesity, diabetes) External chemical Receptor Physiochemical response Target cell Secreting cell

  13. Hormones • Chemical signals pass through the blood and bind to cells in the target organ; initiates physiochemical response • Crucial for reproductive function, development, also immune function, adult diseases (obesity, diabetes) External hormone or estrogen mimic Receptor Unintended Physiochemical response Target cell

  14. What are we seeing in humans? The effect could not be explained by change in BMI Aksglaede et al. Pediatrics 2009 Slide from H. Patisaul and D. Kriebel

  15. Slide from D. Kriebel

  16. What are we seeing in humans? Swan et al. Env. Health Perspectives 2000 Slide from D. Kriebel

  17. WHY? • Diet? • Psychosocial stress? • Chemicals, including environmental contaminants?

  18. What are the exposure routes for humans? • Drinking water is a possibility, but exposure through product use and foods is likely to be much greater

  19. What can we do? • Improve treatment • Support research on improving treatment • Support water/wastewater treatment upgrades • Stop discharge/use • Understand economics/behavioral science (why do people use various products and what are they willing to pay to remove them from our water?) • Limit use or accessibility (ban?) of various products (triclosan, bisphenol A, flame retardants) • Support drug take-back programs

  20. How much is the Mississippi River ecosystem and water quality worth?

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