Bad Medicine? Drugs in the water
Summary
TLDRThe script discusses the presence of pharmaceutical drugs in water sources due to human excretion. It highlights the concern that these drugs, even at low concentrations, can be harmful to aquatic life and potentially human health. Analytical chemistry tools like chromatography and mass spectrometry are used to detect drugs in water. The script suggests using activated carbon filters and considering alternative drug delivery methods like patches to reduce environmental impact. It also emphasizes the importance of efficient wastewater treatment to minimize pharmaceuticals entering the environment.
Takeaways
- 💊 Medications taken by humans are not fully absorbed by the body and are excreted, contributing to the presence of drugs in water bodies.
- 🌊 Drugs can enter lakes and rivers, potentially cycling back into our water supply through faucets.
- 🔍 The concern arises because pharmaceuticals are designed to be biologically active even at low concentrations, which can be more concerning for aquatic life and human health than some industrial chemicals.
- 🧪 Analytical chemistry techniques like chromatography and mass spectrometry are used to detect pharmaceuticals in water at very low levels.
- 🚰 Consumers can use activated carbon filters to reduce drug levels in tap water, but there are other considerations such as filter maintenance.
- 🚫 The speaker does not recommend bottled water as a solution due to the environmental impact and suggests looking for bottled water sourced from regulated tap water.
- 💡 Changing drug delivery methods, such as using patches, could reduce the amount of drugs entering the environment.
- 🔬 The speaker's lab is researching wastewater treatment environments to improve pharmaceutical removal without increasing the energy input or carbon footprint.
- 🌱 The goal is to remove pharmaceuticals from the environment before they reach drinking water treatment plants.
- 💧 Even with above-average precipitation, the issue of drugs in water is still a concern that needs ongoing attention and research.
Q & A
药物在水体中的存在是如何被检测出来的?
-药物在水体中的存在是通过使用分析化学仪器,如色谱法和质谱法来检测的,这些技术可以非常清晰和自信地检测到药物的种类以及它们存在的水平。
消费者可以采取什么措施来去除水中的药物残留?
-消费者可以使用活性炭类型的本地过滤器来减少水中的药物残留,但需要注意的是,必须维护这些过滤器,因为还有其他风险与之相关。此外,推荐使用来自自来水源的瓶装水,这样的水源受到EPA和FDA的监管。
改变药物传递方式如何有助于减少对环境的影响?
-改变药物传递方式,例如使用贴片等技术,可以以比药丸更低的剂量将药物送入人体,这有助于减少进入环境的药物负荷。
实验室正在采取哪些措施来解决水中药物残留的问题?
-实验室正在研究废水中的药品,特别是那些在有氧存在但水平非常低的环境中,这些环境在药物去除方面与提供大量氧气的环境相当。通过减少废水处理厂的能源输入和碳足迹,同时获得与仅仅投入大量氧气的处理厂相同水平的药物去除效果,可以更环保地解决问题。
为什么水中的药物残留是一个值得关注的环境问题?
-水中的药物残留是值得关注的,因为药物被设计为在体内低水平时具有生物活性,因此即使是低浓度的药物也可能对水生生物或人类健康构成更大的关注。此外,药物残留可能对植物和水生动物构成威胁,并且通过饮用水对人类构成风险。
药物残留在水体中的风险分析目前处于什么状态?
-目前,我们知道药物残留存在于水中,并且可以检测到它们,但关于它们是否存在于可能对人类健康构成风险的水平上,风险分析仍在进行中。
气候变化和城市化如何影响水中药物残留的问题?
-气候变化和城市化可能会增加水体中药物残留的浓度,因为它们影响了水的循环和处理。例如,气候变化可能导致药物在水体中的降解速率变化,而城市化可能导致更多的药物通过废水进入水体。
药物残留在水体中的浓度受哪些因素影响?
-药物残留在水体中的浓度受到地区、季节、药物使用模式、污水处理效率以及是否发生了大流行病等因素的影响。例如,冬季由于上呼吸道感染的流行,抗生素的使用量增加,这会导致废水中这些化合物的浓度增加。
为什么说药物残留是新兴的环境污染物?
-药物残留被认为是新兴的环境污染物,因为它们在环境中的持久性和生物累积性,以及它们对生态系统和人类健康的潜在影响。这些化合物在环境中的设计是为了在低水平时具有生物活性,因此即使是低浓度也可能对水生生物或人类健康构成风险。
为什么说药物残留在饮用水中是一个全球性问题?
-药物残留在饮用水中是一个全球性问题,因为它们在世界各地的水体中都有被发现,包括在非洲、亚洲、欧洲和美洲。这些化合物的全球分布和它们对人类健康的潜在影响,使得它们成为一个需要国际关注和协作解决的问题。
Outlines
💊 Pharmaceuticals in Water: A Growing Concern
The paragraph discusses the presence of pharmaceutical drugs in our water systems due to the fact that our bodies do not absorb all of the medication we consume, leading to it being excreted and potentially entering lakes, rivers, and eventually our tap water. The concern is that these drugs, even at low concentrations, can have significant ecological and health impacts, particularly on aquatic species and possibly human health. The speaker mentions that while we can detect these substances in water, the risk they pose to human health is still under evaluation. Analytical chemistry techniques like chromatography and mass spectrometry are used to detect pharmaceuticals in water, and the speaker suggests that using local filters, particularly those with activated carbon, can help reduce exposure. However, they also caution about the maintenance required for such filters and do not recommend bottled water as a solution, advocating instead for regulation and improved drug delivery methods to reduce environmental impact.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Pharmaceuticals
💡Eco-toxicological
💡Wastewater Treatment
💡Analytical Chemistry Instruments
💡Activated Carbon Filter
💡Drug Delivery
💡Biodegradation
💡Environmental Risk Analysis
💡Ecological Risk
💡Sorption
Highlights
Medication we take can end up in water bodies due to incomplete absorption by our bodies.
Pharmaceuticals are designed to be biologically active at low levels, making even small concentrations a concern.
The presence of drugs in water is confirmed through analytical chemistry instruments like chromatography and mass spectrometry.
The risk analysis of pharmaceuticals in water and their impact on human health is still being evaluated.
Consumers can use activated carbon filters to reduce pharmaceuticals in tap water.
Bottled water from tap sources is recommended as it is regulated by both EPA and FDA.
Changing drug delivery methods, such as patches, could reduce environmental loads.
Wastewater treatment in environments with low oxygen levels can effectively remove pharmaceuticals.
Reducing the energy input in wastewater treatment plants can lower the carbon footprint and cost.
The goal is to remove pharmaceuticals before they enter the environment to protect drinking water sources.
Current technologies to remove pharmaceuticals from water are expensive, but researchers are seeking more affordable solutions.
Even with above-average precipitation, the levels of pharmaceuticals in water may only begin to decrease slightly.
The importance of understanding the full course of medications and their environmental impact is emphasized.
The necessity for innovative solutions in wastewater treatment to address pharmaceutical pollution is highlighted.
The potential benefits of using low-oxygen environments for wastewater treatment in terms of cost and environmental impact are discussed.
The interviewee's lab is focused on studying pharmaceuticals in wastewater as a first step in drinking water treatment.
The interviewee is exploring ways to optimize wastewater treatment to remove pharmaceuticals without excessive oxygen input.
Transcripts
much of the medication we take ends up
in our water our bodies don't absorb
everything and so the rest gets flushed
down the toilet
some of it ends up in our lakes and
rivers and can cycle back to our faucets
what do we know about drugs in the water
and what are we doing about it certainly
it's an area of concern we take drugs as
pills and the way that they're designed
is that you take a much higher mass of
concentration than your body meets the
vast majority of it is emitted as waste
and so we basically pee out the vast
majority of what we're taking but when
it comes to pharmaceuticals they are
designed to be biologically active in
your body at low levels and so a low
concentration of a pharmaceutical is of
greater concern from a eco toxicological
or for aquatic species or for human
health then would may be some industrial
chemical at the same level you're saying
that we we believe they're in the water
but we're not sure if they're there at a
level that would pose a risk to human
health is they know they're in the water
because we can detect them but yes the
risk analysis associated with that I
think is certainly still being evaluated
so how do we know there are
pharmaceutical drugs in the water we use
analytical chemistry instruments we use
chromatography and mass spectrometry
significantly to a degree where we can
detect them very clearly and confidently
what is there and and what levels that
they're there is there anything right
now that a consumer can do to remove
these things i I drink tap water I think
you can use a local filter if you want
the activated carbon type of filter at
the use but there are other risks
associated with those because you have
to maintain your filters you can't be
recommending that bottled water is the
solution no no I'm not if I find myself
in a situation where I have to use
bottled water I look for a bottled water
that has either come from a tap source
so that's EPA regulated and then it has
FDA regulations on top of it I think the
solution is up
I think changing drug delivery could be
a huge help to reducing loads into the
environment they have technologies
patches etc that bring drugs into our
body at much lower doses than a pill
what are you doing in your lab to
address this issue I study the
pharmaceuticals on the wastewater side
which we view is the first step in
drinking water treatment environments
that have oxygen present but at very low
levels they perform comparably in terms
of pharmaceutic removal to environments
where we do provide a lot of oxygen
putting oxygen into the wastewater
treatment plant to enable treatment is
half the cost of the treatment plant and
it's the vast majority of the carbon
footprint so if we can reduce the energy
input and the carbon footprint at a
treatment plant and at the same time get
the same level of pharmaceutical removal
that's better than a truant plant that
just puts all that oxygen in let's go
for it so that's what we're looking at I
want to do what I can to get it out
before it enters into the environment so
that it doesn't end up at the drinking
water plant we're beginning to
understand the full course of our
medications today the technology is to
take them out of the water are very
expensive but researchers are looking
for solutions right now we're in a
period where even if we have
above-average precipitation and snowmelt
as spring which we're very likely to
have we might only then begin to start
creeping back towards though
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