Hospitals and households as primary emission sources for risk-posing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater.

A wide range of pharmaceutical residues is known to occur in the environment. While they are released into surface waters mainly through centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), their primary emission sources are located upstream in the sewer network. Information on emissions from different types of primary emission sources is scarce.

Fate of diclofenac in municipal wastewater treatment plant - a review.

Diclofenac (DCF) is a common anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical that is often detected in waste wasters, effluents and surface waters. Recently, DCF was included in the watch list of substances in EU that requires its environmental monitoring in the member states. DCF is also known to harmfully affect several environmental species already at concentrations of ≤ 1 μg/l.

Fate of hormones and pharmaceuticals during combined anaerobic treatment and nitrogen removal by partial nitritation-anammox in vacuum collected black water.

Vacuum collected black (toilet) water contains hormones and pharmaceuticals in relatively high concentrations (μg/L to mg/L range) and separate specific treatment has the potential of minimizing their discharge to surface waters. In this study, the fate of estrogens (natural and synthetical hormones) and pharmaceuticals (paracetamol, metoprolol, propranolol, cetirizine, doxycycline, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, carbamazepine, ibuprofen and diclofenac) in the anaerobic treatment of vacuum collected black water followed by nitrogen removal by partial nitritation-anammox was investigated. A new analytical method was developed to detect the presence of several compounds in the complex matrix of concentrated black water.

Occurrence of xenobiotics in gray water and removal in three biological treatment systems.

Eighteen selected xenobiotics related to personal care and household chemicals (UV-filters, fragrances, preservatives, biocides, surfactants) were measured in gray water from 32 houses and in effluents of three different biological treatment systems (aerobic, anaerobic, and combined anaerobic+aerobic). All selected xenobiotics were detected in gray water samples in the low microg L(-1) range. Generally, lower concentrations were measured after biological treatment and removal efficiencies were higher under aerobic conditions than under anaerobic conditions.

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in river water and their elimination in a pilot-scale drinking water treatment plant.

The occurrence of four beta blockers, one antiepileptic drug, one lipid regulator, four anti-inflammatories, and three fluoroquinolones was studied in a river receiving sewage effluents. All compounds but two of the fluoroquinolones were observed in the water above their limit of quantification concentrations. The highest concentrations (up to 107 ng L(-1)) of the compounds were measured during the winter months.