Fate of human use pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment

Occurrence and fate of selected pharmaceuticals were studied within several projects. Pharmaceuticals are in general not well eliminated during wastewater treatment (also see project “POSEIDON”) and reach the aquatic environment. Infiltration into groundwater can occurs and persistent compounds like the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole and the X-ray contrast media diatrizoate are also found in groundwater (see also project “Identification of organic micro pollutants in selected samples of the national ground water monitoring network NAQUA”).

Contractors

National Science Foundation, NFP 49, AWEL

Publications

Projekt HUMABRA (Occurrence of human-use antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in the aquatic environment; Swiss National Research Programme 49 “antibiotic resistance”.

Final report: http://www.nrp49.ch/pages/index.cfm?srv=cms&dom=1&rub=1051&id=1143

McArdell C.S., Molnar E., Suter M.J.-F., Giger W. (2003) Occurrence and Fate of Macrolide Antibiotics in Wastwater Treatment Plants and in the Glatt Valley Watershed, Switzerland. Environ. Sci. Technol. 37(24), 5479-5486.

Giger W., Alder A.C., Golet E.M., Kohler H.-P.E., McArdell C.S., Molnar E., Siegrist H., Suter M.J.-F. (2003) Occurrence and Fater of Antibiotics as Trace Contaminants in Wastewaters, Sewage Sludges, and Surface Waters. Chimia 57(9), 485-491.

Göbel A., Thomsen A., McArdell C.S., Joss A., Giger W. (2005) Occurrence and Sorption Behavior of Sulfonamides, Macrolides, and Trimethoprim in Activated Sludge Treatment. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39(10), 3981-3989.

Blüm W., McArdell C.S., Höhn E., Schaubhut R., Labhart W., Bertschi S. (2005) Organische Spurenstoffe im Grundwasser des Limmattales: Ergebnisse der Untersuchungskampagne 2004. Baudirektion Kanton Zürich, AWEL (Amt für Abfall, Wasser, Energie und Luft), Zürich. www.wasser.zh.ch/internet/bd/awel/wa/de/mikroverunr.html