Anticancer drugs in Portuguese surface waters - Estimation of concentrations and identification of potentially priority drugs

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2017-10

Authors

Mónica Santos (Author) FEUP; H. Franquet-Griell (Author) Other; S. Lacorte (Author) Other; Luis Madeira (Author) FEUP; Arminda Alves (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Chemosphere

Vol. 184

Pages: 1250-1260

ISSN: 0045-6535

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 8 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 36 Citations

Associated Projects

LEPABE - Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia

LEPABE-2-ECO-INNOVATION - LEPABE-2-ECO-INNOVATION

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00M-X8J

DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.06.102

Abstract (EN): Anticancer drugs, used in chemotherapy, have emerged as new water contaminants due to their increasing consumption trends and poor elimination efficiency in conventional water treatment processes. As a result, anticancer drugs have been reported in surface and even drinking waters, posing the environment and human health at risk. However, the occurrence and distribution of anticancer drugs depend on the area studied and the hydrological dynamics, which determine the risk towards the environment. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the risk of anticancer drugs in Portugal. This work includes an extensive analysis of the consumption trends of 171 anticancer drugs, sold or dispensed in Portugal between 2007 and 2015. The consumption data was processed aiming at the estimation of predicted environmental loads of anticancer drugs and 11 compounds were identified as potentially priority drugs based on an exposure-based approach (PECb> 10 ng L-1 and/or PECc> 1 ng L-1). In a national perspective, mycophenolic acid and mycophenolate mofetil are suspected to pose high risk to aquatic biota. Moderate and low risk was also associated to cyclophosphamide and bicalutamide exposition, respectively. Although no evidences of risk exist yet for the other anticancer drugs, concerns may be associated with long term effects.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 11