[Pharmwaste] Tests find antibiotic,
other contaminants in Tampa's drinking water (article)
randsney at comcast.net
randsney at comcast.net
Mon Jan 11 15:02:02 EST 2010
This response might brighten your day. Just remember that fortification of a
sample and extraction does not mean that residues of parent and degradation
products can be extracted when aged in the sample over time.
Ron Ney
----- Original Message -----
From: <Englert.Brian at epamail.epa.gov>
To: <randsney at comcast.net>
Cc: <Reding.Richard at epamail.epa.gov>
Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 7:33 AM
Subject: Re: Pharmwaste Digest, Vol 50, Issue 9
Mr. Ney,
Thank you for your inquiry. Your questions are very detailed and in
some case would benefit from a search of the literature. We cannot
speak for all of EPA, and have answered the questions relevant to the
development of EPA methods 1694 & 1698.
Q1. Does the EPA know the drug metabolites that are formed in the
human
body and excreted and will the methods detect these metabolites?
A: The methods do not focus exclusively on metabolites but screen for a
broad range of compounds. Some metabolites are included. For instance,
1,7-Dimethylxanthine is a metabolite of caffeine. There are also a
number of other tetracycline degradates in method 1694.
Q2. Does the EPA know the degradation products that are formed in the
sewage and will the methods detect these degradates?
A: We have listed some metabolites in our answer to question 1.
3. Can the EPA methods extract chemicals and their degradations
products (all inclusive) that are bound to organic matter from the sewage
and how
was this proved?
A: Methods 1694 and 1698 cover only the chemicals listed in Table 1 of
each method. Single lab validation data for each method can be found in
the Tables at the end of the method. For this data, matrices were spiked
and extracted (with native and labeled compounds). Accuracy and
precision were then calculated.
4· Do you know the Koc (organic carbon partition coefficient) value
of the residues?
A: These may be available in the literature - we did not measure Koc
directly in the development of Methods 1694 and 1698.
5. Can the EPA methods extract chemicals and degradation products
(all inclusive) that are lipid soluble and if so how was this proved?
A: Methods 1694 and 1698 focus on sewage matrices rather than lipids.
Methods 1694 and 1698 are not all inclusive and cover only the chemicals
listed in each method in the matrices covered by the method. New methods
must be developed and validated for new sets of compounds and matrices
on a case by case basis.
6· Do you know the Kow (octanol water partition coefficient) value of
the residues?
A: These may be available in the literature - we did not measure Kow
directly in the development of Methods 1694 and 1698.
7. It is known the residues that have a high Koc and Kow will persist
in the environment and be taken up by crops and animals do you have studies
on this?
A: A search of the literature may help to provide more information on
these types of studies. While our focus is on wastewater rather than
crops, we are interested in these studies and do review this type of
literature.
6. Do you have any studies or know of studies on pharmaceuticals
waste in wastewater and sewage sludge causing resistant strains of bugs?
A: Currently, we are not aware of such studies.
Regards.
Brian Englert, Ph.D. Environmental Scientist
U.S. EPA, Engineering & Analytical Support Branch
Engineering and Analysis Division
Office of Science and Technology, Office of Water
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (4303T)
Washington, D.C. 20460
Phone: 202-566-0754, FAX: 202-566-1053
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience
englert.brian at epa.gov
Mail, FedEx, UPS, etc:
1301Constitution Avenue
Rm. 6231AA (Connecting Wing)
Washington, DC 20004
From: <randsney at comcast.net>
To: <pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us>, Richard
Reding/DC/USEPA/US at EPA, Brian Englert/DC/USEPA/US at EPA
Cc: <randsney at comcast.net>
Date: 12/17/2009 01:42 PM
Subject: Re: Pharmwaste Digest, Vol 50, Issue 9
To: Richard Reding, Reding.Richard at epamail.epa.gov and Brian Englert,
englert.brian at epa.gov
To: Others
1. Does the EPA know the drug metabolites that are formed in the
human body and excreted and will the methods detect these metabolites?
2. Does the EPA know the degradation products that are formed in the
sewage and will the methods detect these degradates?
3. Can the EPA methods extract chemicals and their degradations
products (all inclusive) that are bound to organic matter from the sewage
and how
was this proved?
· Do you know the Koc (organic carbon partition coefficient)
value of the residues?
4. Can the EPA methods extract chemicals and degradation products
(all inclusive) that are lipid soluble and if so how was this proved?
· Do you know the Kow (octanol water partition coefficient)
value of the residues?
5. It is known the residues that have a high Koc and Kow will persist
in the environment and be taken up by crops and animals do you have studies
on this?
6. Do you have any studies or know of studies on pharmaceuticals
waste in
wastewater and sewage sludge causing resistant strains of bugs?
Dr. Ron Ney
----- Original Message -----
From: <pharmwaste-request at lists.dep.state.fl.us>
To: <pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us>
Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2009 10:02 AM
Subject: Pharmwaste Digest, Vol 50, Issue 9
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Tenace, Laurie" <Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us>
To: <Pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us>
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 8:07 AM
Subject: [Pharmwaste] Tests find antibiotic,other contaminants in Tampa's
drinking water (article)
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/05/050530/tests-find-antibiotic-other-contaminants-tampas-dr/
Tests find antibiotic, other contaminants in Tampa's drinking water
TAMPA - The tap water that Tampa residents consume is contaminated with low
levels of antibiotics, nicotine byproducts and a chemical used to produce
firefighting foams.
City and state officials say the levels of the contaminants - found in
recent tests of the city's drinking water system - are miniscule and that
the city's water is safe to drink.
But the presence of the contaminants raises questions about what is coming
out of the faucets in tens of thousands of households served by the city's
water system.
State and federal environmental regulators say they know little about
possible health risks from the cocktail of contaminants that in recent years
have been found in water supplies across the country. They are only
beginning to study the long-term effects.
Without any regulation of these types of contaminants, the city isn't
required to report the findings of the recent tests to state and local
environmental regulators, or the public.
Elias Franco, distribution division manager for Tampa's water department,
said the city began voluntarily testing its water for pharmaceutical
contaminants two years ago.
He said the contaminants found in tests conducted in May 2009 include the
antibiotic drug sulfamethoxzole; cotinine, a nicotine byproduct; and
perfluorooctane sulphonate, a chemical commonly used for metal plating,
photography and firefighting foams.
The contaminants were found in samples of treated drinking water taken from
the city's treatment plant, indicating that the existing filtration process
doesn't remove them.
Franco said the city meets all federal and state regulations for drinking
water quality and, for now, doesn't intend to make any wholesale changes to
the water treatment system.
"The industry continues to evaluate the latest technologies available that
could prove reliable in evaluating the effects of these contaminants,"
Franco said in a statement, "and the City of Tampa will continue to stay
abreast of these developments."
Neither the state nor federal government requires testing for unregulated
contaminants such as those found in Tampa's drinking water and regulators
haven't set safety limits.
Only one of the contaminants found in Tampa's drinking water,
perfluorooctane sulphonate, is regulated by federal heath officials. Even
then, a health advisory is required to be issued only when the contamination
levels exceed 200 micrograms per liter. The level of the chemical found in
the city's drinking water system was only 1.4 micrograms per liter.
"At this time, no research has shown that concentrations of these substances
reported in recent studies pose a threat to drinking water supplies," Dee
Ann Miller, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection. "Research is ongoing, especially on the effects of multiple
chemical constituents at low concentrations."
How does it get into the water?
Tampa officials attribute the contaminants found in the recent tests to
pollution from the Hillsborough River, the city's primary source of drinking
water.
When people take medicine or smoke, some of the chemicals are absorbed by
the body, but the leftovers end up getting flushed down the toilet and into
the water supply.
The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or
lakes.
Leaking septic tanks also can eventually send contaminants into drinking
water systems, and regulators say pharmaceuticals can also permeate aquifers
deep underground, a source of about 90 percent of the state's drinking water
supplies.
State environmental regulators say despite the recent emphasis on
pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supplies, it's likely people have been
consuming them for a long time.
"It is inevitable that small amounts of these compounds will be released to
the environment," the DEP's Miller said. "It is also likely that these
compounds have been there for decades and have remained undetected until the
recent development of analytical methods to enable their identification and
quantification."
And Tampa is not alone.
Two years ago, an Associated Press investigation revealed how scientists
have found that water piped to millions of people nationwide contains minute
concentrations of contaminants ranging from tranquilizers to painkillers to
antibiotics.
While scientists have not established that people are harmed by these drugs,
the AP reported, laboratory tests conducted by research teams at
universities in the U.S. and Europe have shown that tiny amounts can have
ill effects on human cells, especially when ingested over decades, possibly
in combination with other drugs or in sensitive populations such as children
and pregnant women.
Since the AP report stirred congressional hearings and legislation, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has launched a survey to check for 200
chemical and microbial contaminants at 50 water treatment plants across the
nation, and health agencies are conducting research to clarify how humans
might be harmed by drugs at low environmental levels.
This research will help federal officials decide whether regulations are
needed.
Locally, few local governments test for pharmaceuticals on their own,
relying instead on Tampa Bay Water, which provides water to Hillsborough,
Pinellas and Pasco counties.
>From 2002 to 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey tested groundwater supplied
>by Tampa Bay Water to its members for pharmaceuticals and other
>contaminants, but didn't find anything, according to Chris Owen, the
>authority's water quality assurance officer.
Hillsborough County has for several years tested for herbicides and other
unregulated contaminants under an agreement with the EPA, but not for
antibiotics, steroids, growth hormones and other pharmaceuticals that have
been detected in other water systems.
"Even if we found something, we don't yet know what the health risks are
from these types of contaminants," said Luke Mulford, Hillsborough's water
quality engineer.
"And it's going to be a long time before we know."
Contaminants in drinking water
Recent tests of Tampa drinking water system found the following
contaminants:
Sulfamethoxzole: An antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. Level
found in recent tests: 1.1 nanogram per liter ng/L
Cotinine: Created by the breakdown of Nicotine in the human body. Level
found in recent tests: 2.3 nanogram per liter ng/L
Perfluorooctane Sulphonate: Used to produce fire fighting foams and coatings
for fabrics, leather, and some paper products, this chemical is known to
persist in the environment and to accumulate in human and animal tissues.
Level found in recent tests: 1.4 nanogram per liter ng/L
Laurie Tenace
Environmental Specialist
Waste Reduction Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Rd., MS 4555
Tallahassee FL 32399-2400
P: 850.245.8759
F: 850.245.8811
Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us
Mercury: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm
Unwanted Medicine:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/medications/default.htm
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