Search

The elimination potential of two classes of pharmaceuticals in water treatment was examined. Substances representative for the fluoroquinolones, ofloxacine and levofloxacine, showed no reduction in concentration during passage through a model sewage plant working with sewage sludge from a municipal waste water treatment plant. Formation of metabolites, also produced by humans, was found only to a minor extent. However, adsorption on activated carbon showed convenient isotherms for water treatment. As expected, results were better with powdered activated carbon compared to granulous F300. Only poor adsorption was found for the technical polymer Lewatit EP63 as sorbent.The cytotoxic substances carboplatinum und cisplatinum had been eliminated considerably by the experimental sewage plant, though in very variable amounts (elimination between 17 und 83% of initial concentration). Flocculation, reduced the initial concentration by only 12%. Similar to the fluoroquinolones, the platinum compounds where sorbed on activated carbon. This seems to be the best way for their elimination, while the technical polymer Lewatit‐EP63 showed no adsorption at all.

Abschätzung von insbesondere ökotoxikologischen Wirkungen, die mit dem Eintrag von pharmazeutischen Wirkstoffen und ihrer Metabolite ins Abwasser verbunden sind, ist zur Zeit nur sehr eingeschränkt möglich. Wirkstoffe von Pharmazeutika, Diagnostika und Desinfektionsmitteln lassen sich zwar aufgrund ihrer Wirkung zu Gruppen zusammenfas-sen wie z. B. Antibiotika oder Zytostatika, gehören aber dennoch einer Vielzahl unter-schiedlicher chemischer Strukturklassen an. Es soll daher exemplarisch am Beispiel typi-scher und wichtiger Wirkstoffe untersucht werden, inwieweit eine systematische Betrachtung anhand von typischen Strukturmerkmalen wie Kohlenstoff-Fluor-Bindung, organi-sche kationische Stoffe mit der Möglichkeit zur Ionenpaarbildung sowie organische und anorganische Komplexverbindungen stark unterschiedlicher Stabilität und Toxizität auch zu typischen Lebenswegen führt und ob die damit verbundenen Risikofelder eine bessere Strukturierung der Vielfalt von Pharmaka und anderen chemischen Stoffe insgesamt bzgl. ihres Verhaltens in der Umwelt generell erlaubt. Darauf aufbauend sollen Wege zur Pro-blemlösung untersucht werden

A portion of administered pharmaceuticals are excreted unmetabolised by patients and can be found in hospital effluent and municipal sewage. Some pharmaceuticals such as anti-tumour agents are carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic and fetotoxic. Little is known about their environmental impact. Therefore, the biodegradability of the widely used anti-tumour agent ifosfamide (IF) was assessed with the modified Zahn-Wellens test (OECD 302 B) and a test simulating biological sewage treatment. The biodegradation was monitored by DOC and GC/MS. The concentration of IF in hospital effluent, communal sewage and the effluent from a communal sewage treatment plant (STP) was analysed as well as calculated by the amounts of water and IF used in hospitals. The expected concentration of IF in German surface waters was calculated. IF was not biodegradable in the Zahn-Wellens test and the STP simulation test. It was not adsorbed by the sewage sludge. The concentrations measured in the hospital effluents, the STP influent and the STP effluent were of the same order of magnitude as the calculated ones, indicating that no adsorption, biodegradation or other elimination of IF took place to any noticeable extent. A portion of administered pharmaceuticals are excreted unmetabolised by patients and can be found in hospital effluent and municipal sewage. Some pharmaceuticals such as anti-tumour agents are carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic and fetotoxic. Little is known about their environmental impact. Therefore, the biodegradability of the widely used anti-tumour agent ifosfamide (IF) was assessed with the modified Zahn-Wellens test (OECD 302 B) and a test simulating biological sewage treatment. The biodegradation was monitored by DOC and GC/MS. The concentration of IF in hospital effluent, communal sewage and the effluent from a communal sewage treatment plant (STP) was analysed as well as calculated by the amounts of water and IF used in hospitals. The expected concentration of IF in German surface waters was calculated. IF was not biodegradable in the Zahn-Wellens test and the STP simulation test. It was not adsorbed by the sewage sludge. The concentrations measured in the hospital effluents, the STP influent and the STP effluent were of the same order of magnitude as the calculated ones, indicating that no adsorption, biodegradation or other elimination of IF took place to any noticeable extent.

Zytostatika sind häufig mutagen, cancerogen, foto- und embryotoxisch. Sie werden nach Verabreichung an Patienten zum Teil unverändert ausgeschieden. Über ihr Verhalten in der Umwelt ist derzeit nur wenig bekannt. Der biologische Abbau des Zytostatikums Epirubicin-Hydrochlorid wurde mit dem Closed-Bottle-Test (OECD 301D) untersucht. Epirubicin-Hydrochlorid wurde im Closed-Bottle-Test bei einer Konzentration von 5 mg/l innerhalb von 28 Tagen nicht abgebaut und ist als -not readily biodegradable- einzustufen. Daran änderte auch die Verlängerung der Tests von 28 auf 62 Tage nichts. Epirubicin-Hydrochlorid war in der untersuchten Konzentration nicht toxisch gegenüber Abwasserbakterien. Weitere Untersuchungen zur Elimination von Epirubicin-Hydrochlorid in der biologischen Abwasserreinigung und seinem Verbleib in der Umwelt sind erforderlich, um das möglicherweise von dieser Substanz ausgehende Risiko für Mensch und Umwelt genauer einschätzen zu können. Antineoplastic substances are frequently cancerogenic, mutagenic, fetotoxic and embryotoxic. Some medications are metabolised poorly by patients after administration. At present, only little knowledge is available concerning their behaviour in the environment. Therefore, biodegradation of epirubicin hydrochloride was investigated using the Closed-Bottle-Test (not readily biodegradable). A prolongation of the test up to 62 days did not alter the results. Epirubicin hydrochloride was not found to be toxic against waste water microorganisms. Further investigations about the elimination of epirubicin hydrochloride in the process of waste water treatment and its environmental properties are necessary to obtain more information about the possible risk for man and the environment.