Pharmaceuticals, hazard and ecotoxicity in surface and wastewater in a tropical dairy production area in Latin America
Fecha
2023
Tipo
artículo original
Autores
Ramírez Morales, Didier Daniel
Masís Mora, Mario Alberto
Montiel Mora, José Rolando
Méndez Rivera, Michael
Gutiérrez Quirós, Juan Antonio
Brenes Alfaro, Laura
Rodríguez Rodríguez, Carlos E.
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Resumen
Pharmaceuticals comprise a complex group of emerging pollutants. Despite the significant number of pharmaceuticals used in veterinary medicine, the input of these compounds into the environment due to livestock activities has been scarcely described. This work assays for the first time in Central America the occurrence of
pharmaceuticals in farm wastewater in an area devoted to dairy production, and in the surrounding surface
waters. Among 69 monitored pharmaceuticals, a total of eight compounds were detected in wastewater samples
collected from seven dairy farms after three sampling campaigns. Six pharmaceuticals were considered either of
high (albendazole, lovastatin and caffeine) or intermediate estimated hazard (ciprofloxacin, acetaminophen and
ketoprofen) based on the HQ approach, while 26% of the samples were considered of high estimated hazard
according to the cumulative ∑HQ approach. Similarly, when ecotoxicological tests were applied, all the samples
showed some level of toxicity towards Daphnia magna, and most samples towards Vibrio fischeri and Lactuca
sativa. Fourteen pharmaceuticals were detected in surface water samples collected in the surroundings of the dairy production farms, including rural and urban areas. Seven out of these compounds showed high estimated
risk (risperidone, diphenhydramine, trimethoprim, fluoxetine, ofloxacin, caffeine and ibuprofen), while three
(gemfibrozil, ciprofloxacin and cephalexin) exhibited intermediate estimated risk. In a similar worrisome way,
27% of these samples were estimated to pose high environmental risk according to the pharmaceutical content.
Despite being nontoxic for D. magna or V. fischeri, frequent inhibition (>20%) of GI in L. sativa was determined in
34% of surface water samples; such findings raise concern on the apparent inceptive environmental pollution and
risk within the area. According to the pharmaceutical content patterns in both kinds of studied matrices, no clear
evidence of significant contamination in surface water due to livestock activities could be retrieved, suggesting a
main role of urban influence.
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Palabras clave
DRUGS, SURFACE WATER, WASTE WATER, TROPICAL ZONES, DAIRY PRODUCTS, LATIN AMERICA