EFFECTS OF PHARMACEUTICAL WASTES AND CONTAMINANTS ON ECOSYSTEMS.

EFFECTS OF PHARMACEUTICAL WASTES AND CONTAMINANTS ON ECOSYSTEMS 1
Effects of Pharmaceutical Wastes and Contaminants on Ecosystems

EFFECTS OF PHARMACEUTICAL WASTES AND CONTAMINANTS ON ECOSYSTEMS 2
Introduction
Hazardous pharmaceutical end products are increasingly a growing concern around the
globe. Pharmaceutical end products from hospitals and factories end up in the aquatic
environment after use. Patient drugs for human use and veterinary drugs for animal use are some
of the main sources of aquatic contamination (Vulliet and Olivé, 2011). Several pharmaceutical
products that are used either as human medicine or animal medicine are excreted as active
metabolites which end up being discharged in rivers, oceans, and lakes. Some of these
pharmaceutical end products are believed to have long half-lives in the water environment;
therefore end up accumulating up in aquatic environment until they cause ecotoxicological
effects. The exposure of these pharmaceutical compounds causes serious health problems to
marine animals. An excellent example of pharmaceutical compounds that cause serious health
problems to fish is endocrine disruptors. These chemical compounds disrupt the internal
biological processes of aquatic animals like growth, development, and reproduction (Momodu
and Anyakora, 2010).
There are many cases of release of pharmaceutical wastes that have been studied and
reported. One of the pharmaceutical products that have been studied extensively is
ethinylestradiol. Ethinylestradiol is the main ingredient that is found in contraceptives pills. It
has shown to have negative effects on the sexual development of male fish. A case that was
studied in Canada found out that the release of pharmaceutical products containing
ethinylestradiol led to near extinction of the fish population in Lake Ontario Canada (Zenker et
al. 2014). The study found out that the active ethinylestradiol ingredient in pharmaceutical waste
products had feminized male fish thereby leading to near extinction. As a result prevention
measures were put in place by environmental organizations.

EFFECTS OF PHARMACEUTICAL WASTES AND CONTAMINANTS ON ECOSYSTEMS 3
Another recent study was done in 2015 in Germany. The nation is one of the developed
regions with highly famous for its bulk production of drugs which is exported to other countries
outside the world. The concentrations of these pharmaceutical drugs in sewage effluents were
found to be greater than the blood of patients under the dosage of these drugs. The concentration
of ciprofloxacin, a broad spectrum of antibiotic was found to be as high as 35mg per liter which
indicate extreme the water pollution was (Li, 2014).
Some of the molecules of human medicine used to remain active in the environment after
being excreted. Besides, the improper disposal of these human medicines contributes to water
contamination as many patients fail to complete their doses and end up throwing in the sink or
toilet. These dugs end up in water sources thereby contaminating the water sources making it
unsafe for aquatic animals to live and making it unsafe for human beings to drink. According to
a 2014 research report which was published by United Kingdom Water Industry Research
Organization indicated that about 160 sewage treatment works that as studied had concentrations
of several human drugs that could potentially have a negative impact to the ecosystem (Saravana
et al. 2011). The human drugs found included diclofenac, ibuprofen, oxytetracycline , and
erythromycin. Some medicines that are manufactured from pharmaceutical facilities have shown
to release metabolites that are released in waterways.
Another case similar to the one that was reported in the UK was reported in India in 2007
(Rosi and Royer, 2012). The case reported high water pollutions from pharmaceutical drug
manufacturers in Patancheru in India. The area is highly famous for its bulk production of drugs
which is exported to foreign countries. The concentrations of these pharmaceutical drugs in
sewage effluents were found to be greater than the blood of patients under the dosage of these