By 2050, two-thirds of the projected world population of 9.6 billion people will be city dwellers. Therefore, the ability to diagnose human activities, consumption and health in urban settings is key to understanding and managing human health and planetary sustainability. Urban Metabolism Metrology (UMM) is a new scientific discipline that can inform on the health, sustainability and resilience of urban human populations. By way of a case study on antimicrobials, this presentation will highlight the use of UMM, the Arizona State University’s Human Health Observatory (HHO) and the National Sewage Sludge Repository (NSSR) to characterize releases of antimicrobial compounds and other emerging contaminants of concern, consumption and fate of prescription antibiotics and drugs disposed of into wastewater, and the use of wastewater as a diagnostic matrix to protect public health. A case study with data from the HHO and NSSR will provide a retrospective and prospective analysis of how FDA regulations impact human health and environmental safety, with particular emphasis on the recently implemented U.S. FDA final rule on the safety and effectiveness of antibacterial soaps containing triclosan, triclocarban and other antimicrobials. Collected data cover some 200 U.S. cities representing over 32 million Americans and their consumptive behavior over the past 17 years, and projections for the future.

Urban metabolism metrology: Policy changes and lessons learned from a U.S. case study

256th National Meeting (2018)

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