@article{Al:2014:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.128, author = {Al, Aukidy M and Verlicchi, P and Voulvoulis, N}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.128}, journal = {Science of the Total Environment}, pages = {54--64}, title = {A framework for the assessment of the environmental risk posed by pharmaceuticals originating from hospital effluents}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.128}, volume = {493}, year = {2014} }
TY - JOUR AB - The consumption of pharmaceuticals is increasing in both hospitals and households. After administration, many compounds enter the water cycle as parent compounds or their metabolites via excretion. Conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants are unable to efficiently remove all the different compounds found in sewage and, consequently, treated effluents are one of the main sources of persistent micropollutants in the environment. Hospital patients are administered relatively high quantities of drugs and therefore hospital wastewaters can consistently contribute to treatment plant influent loads, with the magnitude of environmental risk posed by pharmaceuticals originating from hospital effluents largely unknown. This study has therefore developed a framework to enable authorities responsible for hospital management and environmental health to evaluate such risk, considering site-specific information such as the contribution of human population and hospital sizes, wastewater treatment removal efficiency, and potential dilution in the receiving water body. The framework was applied to three case studies, that are representative of frequent situations in many countries, and findings demonstrated that the degree of risk posed by any compound was site-specific and depended on a combination of several factors: compound concentration and toxicity, compound removal efficiency in the wastewater treatment plant and dilution factor. Ofloxacin, 17α-ethinylestradiol, erythromycin and sulfamethoxazole were identified as compounds of concern and might require management in order to reduce risk. AU - Al,Aukidy M AU - Verlicchi,P AU - Voulvoulis,N DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.128 EP - 64 PY - 2014/// SN - 0048-9697 SP - 54 TI - A framework for the assessment of the environmental risk posed by pharmaceuticals originating from hospital effluents T2 - Science of the Total Environment UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.128 UR - http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000340312000006&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202 UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/67876 VL - 493 ER -
Transition to Zero Pollution is a flagship initiative of the Imperial's Academic Strategy, with a vision to realise a sustainable zero pollution future. The initiative brings researchers from different disciplines together to take a systems approach to tackling pollution in all its forms.