Uptake of pharma chemicals by crops “an environmental concern”
pharmafile | May 24, 2011 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |Â Â manufacturing and production, pharma manufacturingÂ
Chemicals which enter the environment in the wastewater of pharmaceutical production facilities can be taken up by crops and other plant species and are a “real concern”, according to researchers in China and the USA.
The team reviewed the literature on pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP) chemicals in the environment and concluded that additional research is urgently needed to gauge the potential risks which may arise when contaminated plants are consumed by humans or animals.
“Currently, the study of plant uptake of PPCPs is still at a preliminary stage and a very limited sampling of PPCPs has been investigated,” wrote Chenxi Wu of the China University of Geosciences, along with co-researchers Alison Spongberg and Jason Witter from the University of Toledo in the USA, in the journal Chemistry Today.
Previous research suggests that many PPCPs are not removed efficiently from wastewater using typical treatment processes and – because effluents and sewage sludge are commonly re-used as irrigation water, contaminants are introduced to the terrestrial environment.
The key question is how readily PPCPs are taken up by plant species thereafter, according to the researchers, and the findings of prior research are varied.
Studies have shown that commonly-used pharmaceuticals such as carbamazepine, salbutamol, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim can occur in plants grown in hydroponic systems. The picture is less clear when investigating plants grown in soil, however, with other studies demonstrating little uptake in plants despite high levels of PPCPs in effluent samples.
“Mechanisms of uptake and degradation are not fully understood at this time [and there is] a need for significant contributions in this field of research,” the authors said in the research paper.
A key cause for concern is recent research indicating that current pharmaceutical manufacturing practices can result in pharmaceutical concentrations one to three orders of magnitude higher than concentrations typically detected in wastewater treatment plant effluent, they noted.
Water from pharma production facilities should be treated separately and not combined with municipal wastewater at standard treatment plants, they recommend. Moreover, greater consideration should be given to the biodegradability of new drugs early on in their development.
Phil Taylor
Related Content
Rotzinger launches modular filling and capping platform for over-the-counter products
Rotzinger PharmaPack has launched a new filling and capping platform called VarioFill, designed to handle …
Pfizer set to develop new $200 million site
Pfizer plans to expand its operations in St. Louis, Missouri, by developing a $200 million …
Sun Pharma strengthens opiates business
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has strengthened its global opiates manufacturing business with the acquisition of two …
