scholarly journals Assessment of Pharmaceuticals, Personal Care Products, and Hormones in Wastewater Treatment Plants Receiving Inflows from Health Facilities in North West Province, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwangu M. Kanama ◽  
Adegbenro P. Daso ◽  
Lizzy Mpenyana-Monyatsi ◽  
Marthie A. A. Coetzee
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Personal Care Products ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Limit Of Quantification ◽  
North West ◽  
North West Province

The presence of 17 pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) belonging to various therapeutic categories was investigated in two hospital wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in North West Province, South Africa. The compounds were extracted from wastewater samples by solid-phase extraction and analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that ofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and bezafibrate were generally below the limit of quantification (LOQ) in the analysed samples. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen were the dominant pharmaceuticals in the influent streams with corresponding concentrations ranging from 21 to 119 μg/L and 0.3 to 63 μg/L, respectively. Both WWTPs were shown to have the capability to remove some of the target PPCPs, including acetaminophen (76-98%), tetracycline (15-93%), ibuprofen (44-99%), and triclocarban (13-98%). The monitoring of the target PPCPs in both influent and effluent samples of the investigated WWTPs revealed that the discharge of inadequately treated effluents could be contributing to the possible increase in the concentrations of these contaminants in the receiving environmental compartments. Further studies must be focused on the broader characterisation of these matrices in order to assess the potential ecological impacts of this waste disposal practice.

scholarly journals Fate of selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products after secondary wastewater treatment processes in Taiwan

2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 2450-2458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Yu-Chen Lin ◽  
Cheng-Fan Lin ◽  
Yu-Ting Tsai ◽  
Hank Hui-Hsiang Lin ◽  
Jie Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Personal Care Products ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Matrix Interference ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
Removal Efficiencies

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) constitute a class of chemicals of emerging concern due to the potential risks they pose to organisms and the environment, even at low concentrations (ng/L). Recent studies have found that PPCPs are not efficiently removed in secondary wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study has: (1) simultaneously investigated the occurrence of sixty-one PPCPs using solid phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, (2) evaluated removal efficiencies of target PPCPs in six WWTPs that discharge effluents into major Taiwanese rivers, and lastly (3) examined matrix interference during analysis of target PPCPs in water samples. The twenty target PPCPs were chosen for their high detection frequencies, high influent concentrations, and stability during wastewater treatment processes. Caffeine and acetaminophen were detected at the highest concentrations (as high as 24,467 and 33,400 ng/L) and were effectively removed (both >96%); other PPCPs were detected in the high ng/L range but were not effectively removed. Matrix interference (by ion suppression or enhancement) during the analysis resulted in underestimation of the removal efficiencies of erythromycin-H2O, cefazolin, clarithromycin, ibuprofen, diclofenac, clofibric acid and gemfibrozil.

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products and their effects on humans

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Neumann
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Personal Care Products ◽  
Breast Development ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Water Treatment Plants ◽  
Bodies Of Water

The increased use of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCP’s) has led to an increase in many population health problems. In 1997, 15–50 % of women had developed breasts by the age of 8. Ten years prior to this, breast development by the age of 8 was uncommon. There are certain researchers who believe that this may be linked to the pharmaceuticals humans are consuming.Wastewater treatment plants are a significant gateway by which pharmaceuticals enter the water supply. Many pharmaceuticals find themselves in wastewater treatment plants, however the plants do not target these specific chemicals for treatment. As a result, they are released into the surrounding bodies of water, and accumulate in aquatic animals. When water treatment plants take water from the bodies of water and distribute it for human consumption, humans consume these chemicals.Many techniques for removing the pharmaceuticals have been tested, but there is still much uncertainty as to which are effective methods. The potential hazards associated with these chemicals are still uncertain, but the current evidence is indicating that it is very likely that these chemicals can be very hazardous.

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