Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northern Portugal

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Silva, Ana Rita Pereira
Data de Publicação: 2023
Outros Autores: Mesquita, D. P., Duarte, Maria Salomé Lira, Pereira, M. Fernando R., Alves, M. M., Monteiro, Sílvia, Santos, Ricardo, Cunha, Mónica V., Jorge, Sandra, Vieira, Joana, Vilaça, João, Lopes, Luísa C., Carvalho, Marta, Brito, Carlos, Martins, António, Pereira, Luciana
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/84650
Resumo: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus led to changes in the lifestyle and human behaviour, which resulted in different consumption patterns of some classes of pharmaceuticals including curative, symptom-relieving, and psychotropic drugs. The trends in the consumption of these compounds are related to their concentrations in wastewater systems, since incompletely metabolised drugs (or their metabolites back transformed into the parental form) may be detected and quantified by analytical methods. Pharmaceuticals are highly recalcitrant compounds and conventional activated sludge processes implemented in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are ineffective at degrading these substances. As a results, these compounds end up in waterways or accumulate in the sludge, being a serious concern given their potential effects on ecosystems and public health. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the presence of pharmaceuticals in water and sludge to assist in the search for more effective processes. In this work, eight pharmaceuticals from five therapeutic classes were analysed in wastewater and sludge samples collected in two WWTP located in the Northern Portugal, during the third COVID-19 epidemic wave in Portugal. The two WWTP demonstrated a similar pattern with respect to the concentration levels in that period. However, the drugs loads reaching each WWTP were dissimilar when normalising the concentrations to the inlet flow rate. Acetaminophen (ACET) was the compound detected at highest concentrations in aqueous samples of both WWTP (98. 516 g L1 in WWTP2 and 123. 506 g L1in WWTP1), indicating that this drug is extensively used without the need of a prescription, known of general public knowledge as an antipyretic and analgesic agent to treat pain and fever. The concentrations determined in the sludge samples were below 1.65 µg g1 in both WWTP, the highest value being found for azithromycin (AZT). This result may be justified by the physico-chemical characteristics of the compound that favour its adsorption to the sludge surface through ionic interactions. It was not possible to establish a clear relationship between the incidence of COVID-19 cases in the sewer catchment and the concentration of drugs detected in the same period. However, looking at the data obtained, the high incidence of COVID-19 in January 2021 is in line with the high concentration of drugs detected in the aqueous and sludge samples but prediction of drug load from viral load data was unfeasible.
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spelling Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northern PortugalCOVID-19PharmaceuticalsSludgeWastewaterThe COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus led to changes in the lifestyle and human behaviour, which resulted in different consumption patterns of some classes of pharmaceuticals including curative, symptom-relieving, and psychotropic drugs. The trends in the consumption of these compounds are related to their concentrations in wastewater systems, since incompletely metabolised drugs (or their metabolites back transformed into the parental form) may be detected and quantified by analytical methods. Pharmaceuticals are highly recalcitrant compounds and conventional activated sludge processes implemented in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are ineffective at degrading these substances. As a results, these compounds end up in waterways or accumulate in the sludge, being a serious concern given their potential effects on ecosystems and public health. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the presence of pharmaceuticals in water and sludge to assist in the search for more effective processes. In this work, eight pharmaceuticals from five therapeutic classes were analysed in wastewater and sludge samples collected in two WWTP located in the Northern Portugal, during the third COVID-19 epidemic wave in Portugal. The two WWTP demonstrated a similar pattern with respect to the concentration levels in that period. However, the drugs loads reaching each WWTP were dissimilar when normalising the concentrations to the inlet flow rate. Acetaminophen (ACET) was the compound detected at highest concentrations in aqueous samples of both WWTP (98. 516 g L1 in WWTP2 and 123. 506 g L1in WWTP1), indicating that this drug is extensively used without the need of a prescription, known of general public knowledge as an antipyretic and analgesic agent to treat pain and fever. The concentrations determined in the sludge samples were below 1.65 µg g1 in both WWTP, the highest value being found for azithromycin (AZT). This result may be justified by the physico-chemical characteristics of the compound that favour its adsorption to the sludge surface through ionic interactions. It was not possible to establish a clear relationship between the incidence of COVID-19 cases in the sewer catchment and the concentration of drugs detected in the same period. However, looking at the data obtained, the high incidence of COVID-19 in January 2021 is in line with the high concentration of drugs detected in the aqueous and sludge samples but prediction of drug load from viral load data was unfeasible.This study was supported by the Competitiveness and Internationalisation Operational Programme, Lisbon Regional Operational Programme and Algarve Regional Operational Programme with the support of FEDER, through the Incentive Scheme: research and development activities and investment in testing and optimisation (upscaling) infrastructures in the context of COVID-19, through the Project “SARS CONTROL: Evaluation of the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 on the urban water cycle and the downstream effects on Public Health" (Ref. 070076). Acknowledge is also due to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit, and by LABBELS – Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020. Strategic funding from FCT to cE3c and BioISI Research Units (UIDB/00329/2020 and UIDB/04046/2020) and to the Associate Laboratory CHANGE (LA/P/0121/2020) is also gratefully acknowledged. ARS holds an FCT grant SFRH/BD/131905/2017 and COVID/BD/151951/2021.ARLR and MFRP acknowledge the financial support from LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE), UIDB/50020/2020 and UIDP/50020/2020 (LSRE-LCM), funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). ARLR acknowledges FCT funding under DL57/2016 Transitory Norm Programme.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionElsevier B.V.Universidade do MinhoSilva, Ana Rita PereiraMesquita, D. P.Duarte, Maria Salomé LiraPereira, M. Fernando R.Alves, M. M.Monteiro, SílviaSantos, RicardoCunha, Mónica V.Jorge, SandraVieira, JoanaVilaça, JoãoLopes, Luísa C.Carvalho, MartaBrito, CarlosMartins, AntónioPereira, Luciana2023-052023-05-01T00:00:00Zinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/1822/84650engSilva, A. R., Mesquita, D. P., Salomé Duarte, M., Lado Ribeiro, A. R., Pereira, M. F. R., Madalena Alves, M., … Pereira, L. (2023, May). Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater treatment plants in Northern Portugal. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances. Elsevier BV. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2023.1003152772-416610.1016/j.hazadv.2023.100315100315https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772416623000864info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2023-12-23T01:30:59Zoai:repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt:1822/84650Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T19:16:46.501639Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northern Portugal
title Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northern Portugal
spellingShingle Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northern Portugal
Silva, Ana Rita Pereira
COVID-19
Pharmaceuticals
Sludge
Wastewater
title_short Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northern Portugal
title_full Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northern Portugal
title_fullStr Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northern Portugal
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northern Portugal
title_sort Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Northern Portugal
author Silva, Ana Rita Pereira
author_facet Silva, Ana Rita Pereira
Mesquita, D. P.
Duarte, Maria Salomé Lira
Pereira, M. Fernando R.
Alves, M. M.
Monteiro, Sílvia
Santos, Ricardo
Cunha, Mónica V.
Jorge, Sandra
Vieira, Joana
Vilaça, João
Lopes, Luísa C.
Carvalho, Marta
Brito, Carlos
Martins, António
Pereira, Luciana
author_role author
author2 Mesquita, D. P.
Duarte, Maria Salomé Lira
Pereira, M. Fernando R.
Alves, M. M.
Monteiro, Sílvia
Santos, Ricardo
Cunha, Mónica V.
Jorge, Sandra
Vieira, Joana
Vilaça, João
Lopes, Luísa C.
Carvalho, Marta
Brito, Carlos
Martins, António
Pereira, Luciana
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Universidade do Minho
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Silva, Ana Rita Pereira
Mesquita, D. P.
Duarte, Maria Salomé Lira
Pereira, M. Fernando R.
Alves, M. M.
Monteiro, Sílvia
Santos, Ricardo
Cunha, Mónica V.
Jorge, Sandra
Vieira, Joana
Vilaça, João
Lopes, Luísa C.
Carvalho, Marta
Brito, Carlos
Martins, António
Pereira, Luciana
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv COVID-19
Pharmaceuticals
Sludge
Wastewater
topic COVID-19
Pharmaceuticals
Sludge
Wastewater
description The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus led to changes in the lifestyle and human behaviour, which resulted in different consumption patterns of some classes of pharmaceuticals including curative, symptom-relieving, and psychotropic drugs. The trends in the consumption of these compounds are related to their concentrations in wastewater systems, since incompletely metabolised drugs (or their metabolites back transformed into the parental form) may be detected and quantified by analytical methods. Pharmaceuticals are highly recalcitrant compounds and conventional activated sludge processes implemented in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are ineffective at degrading these substances. As a results, these compounds end up in waterways or accumulate in the sludge, being a serious concern given their potential effects on ecosystems and public health. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the presence of pharmaceuticals in water and sludge to assist in the search for more effective processes. In this work, eight pharmaceuticals from five therapeutic classes were analysed in wastewater and sludge samples collected in two WWTP located in the Northern Portugal, during the third COVID-19 epidemic wave in Portugal. The two WWTP demonstrated a similar pattern with respect to the concentration levels in that period. However, the drugs loads reaching each WWTP were dissimilar when normalising the concentrations to the inlet flow rate. Acetaminophen (ACET) was the compound detected at highest concentrations in aqueous samples of both WWTP (98. 516 g L1 in WWTP2 and 123. 506 g L1in WWTP1), indicating that this drug is extensively used without the need of a prescription, known of general public knowledge as an antipyretic and analgesic agent to treat pain and fever. The concentrations determined in the sludge samples were below 1.65 µg g1 in both WWTP, the highest value being found for azithromycin (AZT). This result may be justified by the physico-chemical characteristics of the compound that favour its adsorption to the sludge surface through ionic interactions. It was not possible to establish a clear relationship between the incidence of COVID-19 cases in the sewer catchment and the concentration of drugs detected in the same period. However, looking at the data obtained, the high incidence of COVID-19 in January 2021 is in line with the high concentration of drugs detected in the aqueous and sludge samples but prediction of drug load from viral load data was unfeasible.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023-05
2023-05-01T00:00:00Z
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/1822/84650
url https://hdl.handle.net/1822/84650
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Silva, A. R., Mesquita, D. P., Salomé Duarte, M., Lado Ribeiro, A. R., Pereira, M. F. R., Madalena Alves, M., … Pereira, L. (2023, May). Exploring the correlations between epi indicators of COVID-19 and the concentration of pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater treatment plants in Northern Portugal. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances. Elsevier BV. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2023.100315
2772-4166
10.1016/j.hazadv.2023.100315
100315
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772416623000864
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier B.V.
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier B.V.
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
instacron:RCAAP
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reponame_str Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
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repository.name.fl_str_mv Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
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