Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment

Part 1 of 2 – Sources and Environmental Effects
By Don Enns, President & CEO and Marnie Kolach, Winnipeg Laboratory Manager

The chemical database employed at CANTEST consists of approximately 110,000 different compounds. About 80,000 of these compounds have been developed and introduced into society since World War II. While scientists and regulators have made progress in understanding the toxicology behind many of them, their sheer number suggests that there is much more to learn particularly about how even trace amounts interact with the environment and our own genetic make-up.

One of the key concerns that has surfaced in recent years is that many of these compounds, in particular Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs), are finding their way into our water supplies, directly affecting both the quality of our drinking water as well as the water consumed by animals which might end up in the human food chain.

How do PPCPs end up in our water supplies?

There are several ways PPCPs can make their way into the aquatic environment:

• The human body only absorbs 10-50% of the active ingredients in many pharmaceuticals, leaving 50-90% to be flushed into our sewer and septic systems. 
• Unused medications are often flushed down the toilet or sink. 
• Bath or shower water is taking soap, shampoos and cosmetic residues with it down the drain. 
• Traditional farming involves the use of many veterinary drugs, antibiotics and hormones, which are excreted by farm animals and often applied to fields as manure (not only serving as fertilizer, but also as a transportation vector for chemical residues).

Which Monitoring Programs are currently in place?

The Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, developed jointly by the federal, provincial and territorial governments, apply to water destined for human consumption and define more than 85 different physical, chemical, microbiological and radiological parameters, such as bacteria, odour, arsenic and radon. The other 100,000+ compounds either have no analytical method for detection, or are not monitored in light of economic and/or technical restrictions, therefore we have no indication whether they are currently present in our water supply.

While monitoring the environment for additional compounds is in its infancy, the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) works with several government, education and international groups to develop methods and provide risk assessments. CANTEST is working with several jurisdictions on providing analysis for baseline studies and as such, we are constantly expanding the list of target compounds that we are able to detect. Currently, we test for more chemical compounds than any other laboratory in Canada.

The NWRI has recommended that more research be carried out on analytical methods for environmental residues of pesticides applied at low levels (i.e. grams per hectare) and on analytical methods for chiral pesticides.

Findings in the environment to date

One study conducted by the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) showed that one or more of human and veterinary drugs (including antibiotics), natural and synthetic hormones, detergent metabolites, plasticizers, insecticides and fire retardants were detected in 80% of the streams sampled, and 82 of the 95 chemicals were detected at least once. For the most part, the chemicals were found at very low concentrations (in most cases, less than 1 part per billion).

In Canada, there have been studies conducted in the Great Lakes area for the discharge of PPCPs from agricultural plots (runoff) and sewage treatment plants to assess the risk to aquatic life. In the Prairies, the NWRI is researching whether antibiotics found in fertilizers are being leached into the ground water.

Clues about human behaviour

An interesting aspect of water analysis for PPCPs is ‘Community Urinalysis’, used to study human behaviour. Community Urinalysis analyzes waste water streams for legal and illegal drugs. Preliminary results are revealing: cocaine tends to peak on weekends and drop off weekdays; caffeine is the most prevalent chemical residue; methamphetamine levels were highest in one urban gambling area and prescription drug levels tended to stay stable throughout the week .

In addition to the compounds currently on the market, an estimated 1500 - 2000 new chemicals are being produced each year. Baseline studies have begun, but no guidelines are currently in place. In fact, there isn’t even enough information to create holding times at the laboratory.

Part 2 of this series will explore PPCPs’ effects on marine life and what its implications on human health.

Don Enns, President & CEO and Marnie Kolach, Winnipeg Laboratory Manager can be contacted at denns@cantest.com and mkolach@cantest.com respectively or 1 800 665 8566.

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