Pharmaceuticals released from senior residences: occurrence and risk evaluation

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Public Health

Background:

• Identifying pollution sources is crucial for environmental monitoring.
• Pharmaceuticals in the environment pose potential risks to ecosystems and human health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify health-care facilities as a source of pharmaceutical pollution.
• To assess the environmental risk of pharmaceuticals discharged from senior residences.

Main Methods:

• Studied five health institutions in Portugal, Spain, and France.
• Compiled daily pharmaceutical dispensing data to calculate consumption rates.
• Estimated pharmaceutical concentrations in river waters based on excretion and wastewater treatment data.

Main Results:

• Senior residences contribute significantly to pharmaceutical pollution in surface waters.
• Daily pharmaceutical consumption ranged from 54.9 to 1801 g.
• Key drug families include laxatives, analgesics, antiepileptics, antibiotics, and antidiabetics.
• Specific compounds like macrogol, metformin, and paracetamol are expected to reach rivers above the EMA threshold.

Conclusions:

• Health-care facilities, particularly senior residences, are important sources of pharmaceutical pollution.
• Discharge of pharmaceuticals from these facilities can exceed environmental safety thresholds.
• Risk management strategies are needed to mitigate pharmaceutical pollution in surface waters.