Assessing the Discharge of Pharmaceuticals Along the Dutch Coast of the North Sea - Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - page 16

( n = 1), veterinary antibiotics ( n = 1), and others ( n = 1). The direct discharge (sewage
water and industrial water) of pharmaceuticals to the DCZ, in 2002, for individual
pharmaceuticals varied from <0.0009 to 0.27 t yr −1 for sewage water, and from
<0.0009 to 0.33 t yr −1 for industrial wastewater. The highest loads were calculated
for sotalol (beta blocker) and diatrizoic acid (X-ray contrast medium) in sewage
water and industrial wastewater, respectively. The direct discharge of pharmaceuticals
to the DCZ is <5% of that from riverine discharge.
The discharge of these pharmaceuticals to the DCZ in 2002 is in the same order
of magnitude as the discharge rates of the mandatory OSPAR substances Cd (8.8-10
t yr −1 ) and Hg (3.3 t yr −1 ), and are higher than the discharge rates of the mandatory
substance lindane (0.041-0.055 t yr −1 ) and the recommended substance PCBs
(0.217 t yr −1 ).
Although some pharmaceuticals are discharged in significant amounts to the
DCZ, the human and ecotoxicological risks of these highly biologically active
compounds are largely unknown. To determine the environmental hazard and risk
of discharged pharmaceuticals to the marine environment, future research should
focus on a baseline study and a risk assessment of the discharged pharmaceuticals
in the DCZ.
Acknowledgments The authors acknowledge Dr. M. Schrap and G. Rijs for kindly delivering
the data and correcting the manuscript. H. van Reekum constructed the map.
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