With the growth of the human population, a greater quantity of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) have been released into the environment. While research has addressed the levels and the impact of APIs in the environment, the fate of these compounds in wastewater is neither well-known nor characterized. In the environment, APIs can undergo various transformations that are critically dependent on environmental factors such as solar radiation and the presence of soil particles. Given that the degradation products of APIs are poorly characterized, these “secondary residues” can be a significant environmental health hazard due to their drastically different toxicological effects when compared to the parent compounds. To better understand the fate of APIs, we study the degradation of selected pharmaceuticals, including ibuprofen, clofibrate acid and diclofenic, in aqueous solutions that contained clay particles, and are irradiated with a solar simulator. The most abundant degradation products are synthesized, characterized, and assessed for their toxicological impact on selected gut microorganisms (Enterococcus faecalis and Lactobacillus acidophilus) and human cell models (HepG2 and HEK293T). Further, ecotoxicology is evaluated using a bioluminescent bacterium, vibrio fischeri. While certain degradation products show higher toxic effects compared to their parent compounds, few others promoted the cell growth. Given these compounds are capable of further transformation and interaction with other APIs in wastewater, our work highlights the importance of additional characterization of APIs and their degradation products.

Fate of pharmaceuticals in wastewater: Roles of environmental factors and toxicological implications

2019 Fall National Meeting

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