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(40-19) Ecotoxicological assessments and removal technologies for pharmaceuticals in wastewaters (rempharmawater). Andreozzi, Roberto*,1, Battilotti, Massimo2, Campanella, Luigi3, Lyberatos, Gerasimos4, Garric, Jeanne5, Paxeus, Nicklas6, 1 University of Naples "Federico II" -, Naples -, Italy -2 Palmer -, Latina -, Italy3 University of Rome "La Sapienza" -, Rome -, Italy4 University of Patras -, Patras -, Greece5 CEMAGREF, Lyon, France6 GRYAAB -, Goteborg -, Sweden ABSTRACT- The presence of pharmaceuticals in natural and drinking waters has been recently reported. Sewage treatment plants (STP) were pointed out as the major source of discharge for pharmaceuticals to the environment. Although these compounds have been found at very low concentrations, damages to organisms cannot be ruled out. Pharmaceuticals have physico-chemical properties, which make them similar to other xenobiotics. Despite this, the attention paid so far by Governmental Authorities to the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment and their possible toxic effects can be considered as negligible. Few indications are available for pharmaceuticals on their persistence in the environment, toxicity and removal mechanisms. The Project will contribute to an evaluation of the threat by pharmaceuticals present in the environment to human health. Advanced technologies to remove these chemicals at their sources of discharge, thus preventing their entering into the environment, will be developed. The aims are assessing the presence of pharmaceuticals in STP in participating countries and identifying those at environmentally relevant concentrations; assessing their fate in biological processes; evaluating their persistence in the environment and evaluating the ecotoxicity with respect to algae, invertebrates and fishes; evaluating of removing the pharmaceuticals in STP effluents by means of integrated biological processes or AOT. These aims will be achieved through the adoption of chemical and ecotoxicological methods. The Project will stimulate European Authorities to prepare new directives on the quality of drinking water and ecotoxicological risk assessment procedures before marketing new drugs. The technologies developed can be used for up-grading the existing STP and for the ones to be constructed in connection with the urban wastewater treatment directives. Key words: European Project, Rempharmawater, Drugs |
