Drug residues in urban water: A database for ecotoxicological risk management.

Human-use drug residues (DR) are only partially eliminated by waste water treatment plants (WWTPs), so that residual amounts can reach natural waters and cause environmental hazards. In order to properly manage these hazards in the aquatic environment, a database is made available that integrates the concentration ranges for DR, which cause adverse effects for aquatic organisms, and the temporal variations of the ecotoxicological risks. To implement this database for the ecotoxicological risk assessment (ERA database), the required information for each DR is the predicted no effect concentrations (PNECs), along with the predicted environmental concentrations (PECs). The risk assessment is based on the ratio between the PNECs and the PECs. Adverse effect data or PNECs have been found in the publicly available literature for 45 substances. These ecotoxicity test data have been extracted from 125 different sources. This ERA database contains 1157 adverse effect data and 287 PNECs. The efficiency of this ERA database was tested with a data set coming from a simultaneous survey of WWTPs and the natural environment. In this data set, 26 DR were searched for in two WWTPs and in the river. On five sampling dates, concentrations measured in the river for 10 DR could pose environmental problems of which 7 were measured only downstream of WWTP outlets. From scientific literature and measurements, data implementation with unit homogenisation in a single database facilitates the actual ecotoxicological risk assessment, and may be useful for further risk coming from data arising from the future field survey. Moreover, the accumulation of a large ecotoxicity data set in a single database should not only improve knowledge of higher risk molecules but also supply an objective tool to help the rapid and efficient evaluation of the risk.

Toxicities of 48 pharmaceuticals and their freshwater and marine environmental assessment in northwestern France.

A risk assessment for freshwater and marine ecosystems is presented for 48 pharmaceutical compounds, belonging to 16 therapeutic classes, and prescribed in northwestern France. Ecotoxicity data were obtained on two freshwater organisms, i.e., crustacean Daphnia magna and the green algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, and on two marine organisms, i.e., the crustacean Artemia salina and the diatom Skeletonema marinoi. Measured environmental concentrations (MEC), in the Orne River and sea off Merville-Franceville in the Basse-Normandie region, were compared to the predicted environmental concentrations (PEC). Predicted no-effect concentrations (PNEC) were derived from acute data for each compound. Then, a risk assessment for each compound and the mixture was performed by calculating risk quotients (RQ as PEC or MEC/PNEC ratio). Results showed that no immediate acute toxicities were expected even if some compounds displayed strong toxicities at very low concentrations. Antibiotics, antidepressants, and antifungals would deserve attention because of their high or median ecological risk suspected on marine and freshwater ecosystems. Marine ecosystems would be more sensitive to pharmaceutical residues.

Sub-chronic exposure to fluoxetine in juvenile oysters (Crassostrea gigas): uptake and biological effects.

The bioconcentration potential of fluoxetine (FLX) and its biological effects were investigated in juvenile Pacific oyster exposed for 28 days to environmentally relevant concentrations of FLX (1 ng L(-1), 100 ng L(-1) and up to 10 µg L(-1)). FLX bioaccumulated in oyster flesh resulting in 28-day bioconcentration factors greater than 2,000 and 10,000 by referring to wet and dry weights, respectively. Nevertheless, FLX did not induce oyster mortality, delayed gametogenesis, or lead to adverse histopathological alterations. At the two highest concentrations, despite non-optimal trophic conditions, FLX stimulated shell growth but only in a transient manner, suggesting a role of serotonin in the regulation of feeding and metabolism in bivalves. Those high concentrations seemed to drive bell-shaped responses of catalase and glutathione S-transferase activities throughout the exposure period, which may indicate the activation of antioxidant enzyme synthesis and then an enhanced catabolic rate or direct inhibition of those enzymes. However, no clear oxidative stress was detected because no strong differences in thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) content (i.e. lipid peroxidation) were observed between oyster groups, suggesting that cellular defence mechanisms were effective. These results demonstrate the importance of considering additional biomarkers of oxidative stress to obtain a comprehensive overview of the FLX-induced changes in marine bivalves exposed under realistic conditions. Considering the battery of biomarkers used, FLX appears to induce little or no effects on oyster physiology even at a concentration of 10 µg L(-1). These results do not confirm the lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) values reported by some authors in other mollusc species.

Genotoxic and immunotoxic potential effects of selected psychotropic drugs and antibiotics on blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) hemocytes.

The potential toxicity of pharmaceuticals towards aquatic invertebrates is still poorly understood and sometimes controversial. This study aims to document the in vitro genotoxicity and immunotoxicity of psychotropic drugs and antibiotics on Mytilus edulis. Mussel hemocytes were exposed to fluoxetine, paroxetine, venlafaxine, carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim and erythromycin, at concentrations ranging from µg/L to mg/L. Paroxetine at 1.5 µg/L led to DNA damage while the same concentration of venlafaxine caused immunomodulation. Fluoxetine exposure resulted in genotoxicity, immunotoxicity and cytotoxicity. In the case of antibiotics, trimethoprim was genotoxic at 200 µg/L and immunotoxic at 20 mg/L whereas erythromycin elicited same detrimental effects at higher concentrations. DNA metabolism seems to be a highly sensitive target for psychotropic drugs and antibiotics. Furthermore, these compounds affect the immune system of bivalves, with varying intensity. This attests the relevance of these endpoints to assess the toxic mode of action of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment.