Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 2
Ranking of the discharge to the Dutch coastal zone (DCZ)
of mandatory and recommended Oslo Paris (OSPAR) Commission
a
substances in 2002
Sum of riverine and
direct input to DCZ (t)
Ranking
Substance
1
a
Total N
429,000
2
a
NO
3
-N
309,000
3
a
NH
4
-N
16,000
4
a
Total P
29,000
5
a
PO
4
-P
10,000
6
a
Zn
2,159
7
a
Cu
528
8
a
Pb
386
9
Iopromide
22.6
10
Carbamazepine
12.1
11
a
Cd
8.8-10
12
Diatrizoic acid
9.1
13
Iopamidol
8.8
14
Iomeprol
6.4
15
Sulfamethoxazol
5.3
16
Sotalol
4.8
17
Iohexol
4.7
18
Diclofenac
4.1
19
a
Hg
3.3
20
Metoprolol
2.9
21
a
PCBs
0.217
22
a
Γ-HCH (lindane)
0.041 0.055
a
OSPAR (2004)
PCBs
polychlorinated biphenyls
and Halling-Sørenson 2000; Sanderson et al. 2004). According to Sanderson et al.
(2004), ecotoxicological data are available in the open-peer reviewed literature or
ecotoxicological databases [ECETOX (EU) and ECOTOX (US)], for fewer than
1% of human pharmaceuticals.
Sanderson et al. (2004) developed a quantitative tool for ranking and prioritizing
environmental risks of pharmaceuticals based on (1) their ranked predicted aquatic
toxicity, (2) removal rates in STPs, (3) potential to bioaccumulate, and (4) number
of compounds comprising each class (used as a surrogate for volumes because
classes with large diversity typically have higher volumes than do classes with low
diversity). According to this tool, additives to pharmaceuticals (e.g., paraffin, ani-
onic, and nonionic surfactants) were the most toxic classes and are not taken into
account in this study. However, these substances are not the AIs of pharmaceuticals.
Using this prioritizing tool, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, antiviral, anxiolytic
sedatives, hypnotics and antipsychotics, corticosteroid, and thyroid pharmaceuticals
were predicted to be the most hazardous therapeutic classes. Predictions for individual
compounds, within classes or for the entire database, are available from Sanderson
(hsander@uoguelph.ca).
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