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Trace pharmaceuticals in water - how big is the impact?

9/6/2016

 
Researchers at the Cary Institute recently published a study on amphetamines (from both legal and illegal types) found in urban streams. More importantly, the researchers observed the following impacts at 1 ppb (part per billion) concentrations of amphetamine:
  • Growth of biofilms were suppressed
  • Bacterial and diatom communities changed
  • Aquatic insects emerged earlier
While none of these impacts on the surface seem great, the changes are at the base of the food web which can make for major problems as you move to more apex creatures including humans. After reading the article, I am convinced that we will find significant impacts from many of our common pharmaceuticals that will eventually make wastewater treatment permits include removal of trace amounts. Key is what technology will prove most effective in removing xenobiotics at ppb levels.

Here is a link to a news release by the Cary Institute. 
http://www.caryinstitute.org/newsroom/ecological-consequences-amphetamine-pollution-urban-streams

Here is the link to the full article in Environmental Science & Technology.
Occurrence and Potential Biological Effects of Amphetamine on Stream Communities
Sylvia S. Lee, Alexis M. Paspalof, Daniel D. Snow, Erinn K. Richmond, Emma J. Rosi-Marshall, and John J. Kelly. Environmental Science & Technology . DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b03717http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.6b03717



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    Author

    Erik Rumbaugh has been involved in biological waste treatment for over 20 years. He has worked with industrial and municipal wastewater  facilities to ensure optimal performance of their treatment systems. He is a founder of Aster Bio (www.asterbio.com) specializing in biological waste treatment.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

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