[Pharmwaste] Study tests sewage for drugs (Windsor, Ontario)

Tenace, Laurie Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us
Thu Nov 18 10:03:35 EST 2010


http://www.windsorstar.com/technology/Study%20tests%20sewage%20drugs/3845767/story.html


Study tests sewage for drugs


By Doug Schmidt, Windsor Star November 17, 2010

Truckloads of stinking Windsor sewage have begun rolling down Highway 401 to be tested for drugs at the Environment Canada laboratories in Burlington.

The federal environmental agency is just one of many parties involved in an ambitious new study centred on Windsor that is looking at painkillers, perfumes, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and other contaminants making their way into the Great Lakes, the primary source of drinking water for millions of people.

"With population growth and changing lifestyles, we can expect to observe new substances in the water sources all the time," said Shahram Tabe, who is with the standards development branch of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and heading up the study.

"The effects of these substances on the environment - including aquatic life and public health - should continuously be monitored and studied," Tabe said.

Monthly sampling began this month at Windsor's two wastewater treatment plants and will continue until next October. In addition, Tabe said two cubic metres of sewage plant effluent is being transported weekly to the Burlington labs to "conduct experiments on the effects on aquatic life."

Tabe said Environment Canada alone is making a $450,000 financial contribution over three years toward the study. He said the other partners, including Health Canada and four universities, including the University of Windsor, are "investigating a variety of biological and toxicological impacts on micro-organisms and the environment."

Tabe said Windsor wasn't selected because its water or sewage is considered worse than elsewhere. Tabe said the city is located along a relatively short and condensed river which channels the outflow of the upper Great Lakes, and the current testing is a followup to preliminary research conducted here.

In data collected last year, "we did not observe a significant difference in either type or concentrations of the target chemicals from other studies conducted at different sites around the world," said Tabe.

While previous work has shown "relatively high" concentrations of detectable chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting compounds and personal care products, in sewage effluent, Tabe described as "extremely low" the concentrations of such substances detected in water after it's been treated for consumption.

Some of the targeted chemicals were "not detectable any more," while others were discovered in parts per trillion. "Imagine smashing one grain of salt into pieces and then throwing one piece into an Olympic-size pool," Tabe said by way of illustration.

Previous studies have shown the presence of newer chemicals in local surface water, everything from hormones and contraceptives to painkillers and other medications thought to be flushed down sinks and toilets.

Tabe said chemical wastes, agricultural agents and livestock medications are among the other categories of chemicals being found in water.

The current project is being conducted in phases, with initial findings expected to become available in 2012 and be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, said Tabe.

Last month, a spokesman for the International Joint Commission, the cross-border body responsible for investigating and improving the health of the Great Lakes, announced it was hoping to implement new technology at Windsor's Little River Pollution Control Plant to stem the flow of chemicals into the Detroit River.


Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/technology/Study+tests+sewage+drugs/3845767/story.html#ixzz15e9CvsrR

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

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