Prioritizing human pharmaceuticals for ecological risks in the freshwater environment of Korea.
Pharmaceutical residues are potential threats to aquatic ecosystems. Because more than 3000 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are in use, identifying high-priority pharmaceuticals is important for developing appropriate management options. Priority pharmaceuticals may vary by geographical region, because their occurrence levels can be influenced by demographic, societal, and regional characteristics. In the present study, the authors prioritized human pharmaceuticals of potential ecological risk in the Korean water environment, based on amount of use, biological activity, and regional hydrologic characteristics. For this purpose, the authors estimated the amounts of annual production of 695 human APIs in Korea. Then derived predicted environmental concentrations, using 2 approaches, to develop an initial candidate list of target pharmaceuticals. Major antineoplastic drugs and hormones were added in the initial candidate list regardless of their production amount because of their high biological activity potential. The predicted no effect concentrations were derived for those pharmaceuticals based on ecotoxicity information available in the literature or by model prediction. Priority lists of human pharmaceuticals were developed based on ecological risks and availability of relevant information. Those priority APIs identified include acetaminophen, clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, metformin, and norethisterone. Many of these pharmaceuticals have been neither adequately monitored nor assessed for risks in Korea. Further efforts are needed to improve these lists and to develop management decisions for these compounds in Korean water.
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Yongin University, Yongin, Republic of Korea.
Kyunghee
K
Ji
Environmental Planning Institute, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Eun Jeong
EJ
Han
Department of Environmental Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Republic of Korea.
Sunhyoung
S
Back
Department of Environmental Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Republic of Korea.
Jeongim
J
Park
Accident Prevention and Assessment Division, National Institute of Chemical Safety, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Jisung
J
Ryu
Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Kyungho
K
Choi
D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Environmental risk assessment; PhATE; Pharmaceuticals; Prioritization