PT04 Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Wastewater Treatment Effluents
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Tuesday
(PT056) Do Residual Levels of Pharmaceuticals Contribute to Endocrine Disruption ?
Bahe, A1, Williams, B2, Kennedy, L3, Nedoff, J3, 1 Bahe Associates, Cary, North Carolina, USA2 Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Portland, Oregon, USA3 Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, San Francisco, California, USA
ABSTRACT- Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) interfere with normal hormone functions and can cause feminization in males or other effects on metabolism, growth, or reproduction in animals. The documented number of compounds exhibiting estrogenic effects has increased dramatically in recent years and includes numerous compounds not previously suspected to be EDCs. This increased incidence of compounds that exhibit estrogenic activity may be due to to a stimulatory effect of pharmaceuticals already present in water and wastewater. There is evidence that residual levels of synthetic steroids and pharmaceuticals in water and wastewater may contribute to the estrogenic effects of some compounds. Recent studies have demonstrated that some pharmaceuticals and other organic compounds may pass through conventional treatment systems without significant reduction in biological activity, resulting in endocrine disrupting effects in exposed agricultural animals and wildlife. This presentation will describe some of the potential estrogenic effects that may be attributed to residual levels of pharmaceuticals in the environment and will compare these effects with those documented in agricultural systems and wildlife. This presentation will also discuss the implications of persistent organic compounds and pharmaceuticals that may act as EDCs or transform other compounds into EDCs on future designs of treatment systems.
Key words: pharmaceutical, endocrine disruption, wastewater treatment, antibiotics