[Pharmwaste] RE: Treatment plant may reduce drugs in creek - Canada

[Hauser, Deborah]

AND....do we know anything yet about how the PPCPs break down (or don't break down) in biosludge?  Can they be absorbed by plants?

From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us [mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Shield, Margaret
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2014 1:12 PM
To: 'Tenace, Laurie'; 'pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us'
Subject: [Pharmwaste] RE: Treatment plant may reduce drugs in creek - Canada

I would appreciate seeing information on where the portion of the PPCPs that are removed from the wastewater end up, and unfortunately reports like this tend not to describe that.  Some chemical degradation or inactivation may occur, but typically the still active PPCP chemicals end up in the biosludge.  It would be interesting to know how this WWTP handles or utilizes that biosludge.

Margaret Shield PhD, Policy Liaison
Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County
(desk) 206-477-6238
Local Governments for Health and the Environment - www.lhwmp.org<http://www.lhwmp.org/>


From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us<mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us> [mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Tenace, Laurie
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2014 6:30 AM
To: 'pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us'
Subject: [Pharmwaste] Treatment plant may reduce drugs in creek - Canada

http://www.leaderpost.com/technology/Treatment+plant+reduce+drugs+creek/10290357/story.html


Regina's new waste water treatment plant will help reduce the level of pharmaceuticals and estrogen in Wascana Creek, which have potentially dangerous effects on fish populations.

Studies show the plant's planned biological nutrient removal system could improve the reduction of pharmaceuticals and personal care products by 80 to 95 per cent, said Water Security Agency (WSA) spokesman Patrick Boyle. These studies also indicate the system could improve estrogen removal by 95 per cent, he said.

Boyle could not comment on the current effect of estrogen or pharmaceuticals on the Wascana Creek ecosystem.

The concentration of these compounds in Wascana Creek has been on the City of Regina's radar, said Kelly Scherr, director of major projects. The city commissioned a study to ascertain the best way to tackle these compounds before proceeding with the new plant, she said.

Discussion over estrogen in waterways was ignited Monday with the publication of a new study into the effects of this compound on freshwater fish. The study, published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, found estrogen can lead to intersex fish transformation, which in turn impedes reproduction and decimates populations. Other organisms along the food chain are affected, too.

The study mentioned Wascana Creek as one location where feminized male fish are present due to waste water.

Boyle said Regina's waste water treatment plant currently removes 40 per cent of pharmaceuticals, including estrogen, from the water.

"Our sewage treatment plants are not designed to remove these kinds of residues," said Marley Waiser, a retired research scientist with Environment Canada, who conducted a study into the presence of pharmaceuticals in Wascana Creek.

She found there are an abundance of them - more than 20 different types were found at one test time - and they travel far downstream of Regina, sometimes up to 105 kilometres away.

These pharmaceuticals come from urine and feces, as humans only absorb about 20 per cent of the drugs they ingest, Waiser explained.

While concentrations of compounds in Wascana Creek were low, Waiser said it's the chronic exposure of pharmaceuticals and other contaminants to the water system that is of concern. Since the system is fed by effluent, she said it is naturally at risk from pollution and requires more research, especially now that a new waste water treatment plant is being constructed.

"If you're putting a new sewage treatment plant in, you want to make sure it's doing what it's supposed to do," Waiser said.

The WSA is in its first year of a three-study to monitor "environmental substances of concern," like pharmaceuticals, present in Wascana Creek, said Boyle. The study's timeline will allow a comparison between water quality before and after the new plant.

Scherr said the city will be looking to the results of the WSA study and best practices to guide its approach to this issue going forward.

The plant is set to be completed by December 2016. nlypny at leaderpost.com<mailto:nlypny at leaderpost.com> twitter.com/wordpuddle


Laurie Tenace
Environmental Specialist
Waste Reduction Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4555
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400
850.245.8759
Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us<mailto:Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us>

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