PMID- 36608822
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20230208
LR  - 20230208
IS  - 1879-1026 (Electronic)
IS  - 0048-9697 (Linking)
VI  - 866
DP  - 2023 Mar 25
TI  - Removal of residues of psychoactive substances during wastewater treatment, their 
      occurrence in receiving river waters and environmental risk assessment.
PG  - 161257
LID - S0048-9697(22)08361-9 [pii]
LID - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161257 [doi]
AB  - Continuous consumption combined with incomplete removal during wastewater 
      treatment means residues of psychoactive substances (licit drugs, medications of 
      abuse and illicit drugs) are constantly introduced into the aquatic environment, 
      where they have the potential to affect non-target organisms. In this study, 17 
      drug residues of psychoactive substances were determined in wastewater influent, 
      effluent and in receiving rivers of six Slovene municipal wastewater treatment 
      plants employing different treatment technologies. Variations in removal 
      efficiencies (REs) during spring, summer and winter were explored, and ecotoxic 
      effects were evaluated using in silico (Ecological Structure-Activity 
      Relationships software-ECOSAR) and in vivo (algal growth inhibition test) 
      methods. Drug residues were detected in influent and effluent in the ng/L to mug/L 
      range. In receiving rivers, biomarkers were in the ng/L range, and there was good 
      agreement between measured and predicted concentrations. On average, REs were 
      highest for nicotine, 11-nor-9-carboxy-∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH), 
      cocaine residues, and amphetamine (>90 %) and lowest for methadone residues (<30 
      %). REs were comparable between treatments involving activated sludge and 
      membrane bioreactors, while the moving biofilm bed reactor (MBBR) removed 
      cotinine, cocaine, and benzoylecgonine to a lesser extent. Accordingly, higher 
      levels of nicotine and cocaine residues were detected in river water receiving 
      MBBR discharge. Although there were seasonal variations in REs and levels of drug 
      residues in receiving rivers, no general pattern could be observed. No 
      significant inhibition of algal growth (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) was observed 
      for the tested compounds (1 mg/L) during 72 h and 240 h of exposure, although 
      effects on aquatic plants were predicted in silico. In addition, environmental 
      risk assessment revealed that levels of nicotine, methadone, 
      2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP), morphine, and 
      3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) pose a risk to aquatic organisms. Since 
      nicotine and EDDP can have acute and chronic effects, the authors support regular 
      monitoring of receiving surface waters, followed up by regulatory actions.
CI  - Copyright (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
FAU - Verovsek, Taja
AU  - Verovsek T
AD  - Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; International 
      Postgraduate School Jozef Stefan, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
FAU - Sustaric, Ariana
AU  - Sustaric A
AD  - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Vecna pot 113, 1000 Ljubljana, 
      Slovenia.
FAU - Laimou-Geraniou, Maria
AU  - Laimou-Geraniou M
AD  - Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; International 
      Postgraduate School Jozef Stefan, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
FAU - Krizman-Matasic, Ivona
AU  - Krizman-Matasic I
AD  - Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Bijenicka c. 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
FAU - Prosen, Helena
AU  - Prosen H
AD  - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Vecna pot 113, 1000 Ljubljana, 
      Slovenia.
FAU - Elersek, Tina
AU  - Elersek T
AD  - National Institute of biology, Vecna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
FAU - Kramaric Zidar, Vlasta
AU  - Kramaric Zidar V
AD  - JP Vodovod Kanalizacija Snaga, d.o.o., Vodovodna cesta 90, 1000 Ljubljana, 
      Slovenia.
FAU - Mislej, Vesna
AU  - Mislej V
AD  - JP Vodovod Kanalizacija Snaga, d.o.o., Vodovodna cesta 90, 1000 Ljubljana, 
      Slovenia.
FAU - Mismas, Bostjan
AU  - Mismas B
AD  - JP Vodovod Kanalizacija Snaga, d.o.o., Vodovodna cesta 90, 1000 Ljubljana, 
      Slovenia.
FAU - Strazar, Marjeta
AU  - Strazar M
AD  - JP Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Domzale-Kamnik, d.o.o., Studljanska 91, 
      1230 Domzale, Slovenia.
FAU - Levstek, Marjetka
AU  - Levstek M
AD  - JP Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Domzale-Kamnik, d.o.o., Studljanska 91, 
      1230 Domzale, Slovenia.
FAU - Cimrmancic, Bernardka
AU  - Cimrmancic B
AD  - Komunala Novo mesto, d.o.o., Podbevskova ulica 12, 8000 Novo mesto, Slovenia.
FAU - Luksic, Simon
AU  - Luksic S
AD  - Komunala Novo mesto, d.o.o., Podbevskova ulica 12, 8000 Novo mesto, Slovenia.
FAU - Uranjek, Natasa
AU  - Uranjek N
AD  - Komunalno podjetje Velenje, d.o.o., Koroska cesta 37/b, 3320 Velenje, Slovenia.
FAU - Kozlovic-Bobic, Tjasa
AU  - Kozlovic-Bobic T
AD  - Marjetica Koper, d.o.o.-s.r.l., Ulica 15. maja 4, 6000 Koper, Slovenia.
FAU - Kosjek, Tina
AU  - Kosjek T
AD  - Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; International 
      Postgraduate School Jozef Stefan, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
FAU - Kocman, David
AU  - Kocman D
AD  - Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
FAU - Heath, David
AU  - Heath D
AD  - Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
FAU - Heath, Ester
AU  - Heath E
AD  - Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; International 
      Postgraduate School Jozef Stefan, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Electronic 
      address: ester.heath@ijs.si.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20230104
PL  - Netherlands
TA  - Sci Total Environ
JT  - The Science of the total environment
JID - 0330500
RN  - 6M3C89ZY6R (Nicotine)
RN  - 0 (Water Pollutants, Chemical)
RN  - CK833KGX7E (Amphetamine)
RN  - 0 (Central Nervous System Agents)
RN  - 7J8897W37S (Dronabinol)
RN  - I5Y540LHVR (Cocaine)
RN  - UC6VBE7V1Z (Methadone)
SB  - IM
MH  - Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods
MH  - Rivers/chemistry
MH  - Nicotine
MH  - Biofilms
MH  - *Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis
MH  - Environmental Monitoring
MH  - Bioreactors
MH  - Amphetamine
MH  - Central Nervous System Agents
MH  - Dronabinol/analysis
MH  - *Water Purification
MH  - *Cocaine/analysis
MH  - Methadone
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Drug
OT  - Ecotoxicity
OT  - Psychoactive
OT  - Risk assessment
OT  - Surface water
OT  - Wastewater treatment
COIS- Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known 
      competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared 
      to influence the work reported in this paper.
EDAT- 2023/01/08 06:00
MHDA- 2023/02/09 06:00
CRDT- 2023/01/07 16:04
PHST- 2022/09/01 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2022/11/28 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2022/12/24 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2023/01/08 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2023/02/09 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2023/01/07 16:04 [entrez]
AID - S0048-9697(22)08361-9 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161257 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Sci Total Environ. 2023 Mar 25;866:161257. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161257. 
      Epub 2023 Jan 4.