Igualtat d’oportunitats i discriminació positiva

511

Effects of untreated wastewater dilution in surface waters on pharmaceuticals natural attenuation and on the community genomics: Implications for ERA

S. Bagnis, M. Fitzsimons, Plymouth University; J. Snape, AstraZeneca UK Ltd. / AstraZeneca Global Environment; A. Tappin, Plymouth University; S. Comber, Plymouth University / Environmental Science

The increasing consumption and production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in low and low-middle income countries (LLMICs) is of growing environmental concern owing to their possible ecotoxicological effects. This is related to the practice of direct discharge of untreated wastewater (DUW), which creates a heavily polluted area, named the “impact zone”. Little is known about the environmental fate of APIs in this area. Nevertheless, a few available measured environmental concentrations (MECs) of LLMICs show higher concentrations than for high-income countries with developed wastewater treatment infrastructures. Globally, the MECs of APIs in the “impact zone” are typically above 0.01 µg L-1_, which, if predicted, would trigger the environmental fate refinement of the environmental risk assessment (ERA). In the ERA PEC calculation, a default dilution factor (DF) of 10 is used, but in at least 53 countries worldwide, the local predicted median DF is lower than 10. There is no information available in the literature about the effects of low dilutions on the natural attenuation of APIs nor impacts of DUW. Furthermore, information on the effects of low dilution on mixtures of APIs is missing, hence necessitating the requirement for evaluation of biological endpoints for the impact zone ERA. This information is pivotal for the development of an impact zone ERA approach, and we are proposing an original attempt to expand this area of essential research. The biodegradation of a set of APIs was studied in batch tests at several levels of dilution. Nevirapine shows persistency across the experimental period and only the dilution is controlling the observed concentrations. Acebutolol and Diclofenac show a decrease in concentration of up to 90% as a result of a combination of dilution and biodegradation. The biodegradation at no dilution shows a behaviour consistent with previous reported studies. Also, Amitriptyline shows persistency but the sorption alone is responsible for the 70% of the removal. The TOC analyses do not show significant consumption rate changes caused by dilution. The results regarding the effects of the APIs mixture and the dilution on the microbial composition are been analysed through bioinformatic statistics, and will be presented if significant.

512

Wastewater Treatment Works: Measurement, Prediction, Risk - A Cause for Concern?

S. Comber, Plymouth University / Environmental Science; M. Gardner, Atkins Ltd.; P. Sorme, AstraZeneca / AstraZeneca Patient Safety; B. Ellor, UKWIR This work reports on the ability for wastewater treatment works (WwTW) to remove active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), the variations within and between works, the effectiveness of trying to model removal and the risk of exceeding predicted no effect concentrations (PNEC) in the environment. The research is based on data generated from two large UK-wide WwTW monitoring programmes. Taking account of removal of parent compound from the aqueous phase during treatment in combination with estimates of dilution available it is possible to prioritise the APIs of greatest risk of exceeding estimates of their PNEC in receiving waters for all WwTW in the UK. The majority of substances studied were removed to a high degree, although with significant variation, both within and between WwTW. Poorer removal (between influent and effluent) was observed for ethinyloestradiol, diclofenac, propranolol, the macrolide antibiotics, fluoxetine, tamoxifen and carbamazepine. All except the last two of these substances were present in effluents at concentrations higher than their respective estimated PNEC (based on measurement of effluents from 45 WwTW on 20 occasions). The application of models to predict removal efficiencies are reported. Based on available dilution data as many as 890 WwTW in the UK (approximately 13% of all WwTW) may cause exceedances of estimated riverine PNECs after mixing of their effluents with receiving waters. The overall degree of risk is driven by the toxicity value selected, which in itself is controlled by the availability of reliable and relevant ecotoxicological data and consequently the safety factors applied. The dataset and discussion, provides information to assist in the future management of these types of chemicals.

513

Impact of a wastewater treatment plant upgrade on amphipods and other macroinvertebrates: individual and community responses

K. Peschke, Tübingen University / Animal Physiological Ecology; S.A. Kohler, University of Portsmouth / Animal Physiological Ecology; K. Wurm, GÖL Water Ecology Laboratory Starzach; R. Triebskorn, University of Tuebingen / Animal Physiological Ecology

Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) equipped with secondary and tertiary treatment steps do not or only partially remove micropollutants which makes them important point sources for the release of these substances in the water cycle. Micropollutants can cause short- or long-term adverse effects in aquatic organisms even at low concentration levels. One possibility to reduce the input of micropollutants into the water cycle is the upgrading of WWTPs with an additional purification stage using e.g. ozonation or powdered activated carbon. The current work is part of the joint research BMBF project “SchussenAktivplus” funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Ministry of Environment, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In this project, the efficiency of an additional wastewater treatment based on powdered activated carbon for the ecosystem of the Schussen river, a major tributary of Lake Constance, Southern Germany, has been investigated. Our part of the project focuses on assessing the health status of gammarids and the macrozoobenthos community in the Schussen river. Samples were taken up- und downstream of the WWTP, as well as before and after the upgrading of the WWTP. Gammarid populations from all sites were investigated with respect to sex ratio and fecundity of breeding females. In addition, analyses of heat shock protein (hsp70) levels and lipidperoxides allowed us to draw conclusions about proteotoxic and oxidative stress in gammarids. Macrozoobenthos community integrity was determined by means of the saprobic index as well as by the number of sensitive taxa (EPT index). Prior to the WWTP upgrade, the health status of gammarids as well as the integrity of the macrozoobenthos community was negatively influenced by the WWTPs effluent. After the upgrading of the WWTP, gammarids from the downstream site did not differ any longer from those collected upstream of the WWTP with respect to the investigated health parameters. Furthermore, the overall number of taxa and particularly the number of EPT taxa within the macrozoobenthos community downstream of the WWTP increased distinctly after the upgrade of the WWTP with the additional activated carbon step. We conclude that the efficiency of the activated carbon step to eliminate toxic and endocrine active chemicals from the effluent can plausibly be related to the improved integrity of macroinvertebrate health and community structure in the connected river Schussen.

514

Effects of full-scale ozonation of treated effluent - Environmental impact in a receiving river

J. Fick, Umea University / Department of Chemistry; T. Brodin, Umea University / Department of Ecology and Environmental Science; J.D. Larsson, University of Gothenburg, Sweden / Department of Infectious Diseases; L. Norrgren, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences / Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health; B. Björlenius, KTH Royal Institute of Technology / Industrial Biotechnology Division; S. Örn, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences / Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health; J. Pohl, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) / Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health; J. Jutkina, C. Flach, A.

Karkman, C. Rutgersson, University of Gothenburg Sweden

Pharmaceuticals have been found in aquatic systems globally, due to a combination of worldwide usage and low removal efficiency in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), or a complete lack of WWTPs (1). In surface waters, concentrations of pharmaceuticals usually range from low µg l-1 _{close to point sources to low ng l}-1_, and are correlated to human population density in the drainage area, volume of the receiving water body and technologies used in WWTPs. One technique to increase the removal of pharmaceuticals in WWTPs is to add a tertiary treatment step based on the addition of ozone. Ozonation is a cost efficient way to degrade chemicals and several studies have shown that most pharmaceuticals are readily degraded in the presence of ozone (2). However, several oxidized degradation products are formed during ozonation and the environmental impact of these are largely unknown. The aim with this study was to evaluate the removal of pharmaceuticals in a WWTP, when adding ozonation as an additional tertiary treatment step and also to investigate the environmental impact of this effluent on the receiving river. All treated effluent from a minor WWTP (10000 PE) were treated by an addition of 8 mg h-1 _{ozone during 6 months. Removal rates in the WWTP as well as levels of} pharmaceuticals in the receiving river (both in water and biota) were monitored. Surface water data from 10 sampling sites and 10 sampling occasions, before, during and after ozonation, will be presented. Ecological status and levels of pharmaceuticals in exposed biota (n=5) at each site and sampling occasion will also be presented. Several additional methods to evaluate the impact of ozonation was used including impact on microbial community composition, presence of antibiotic resistance genes as well as studies to detect endocrine, reproductive and behavioral effects in fish and its progeny.

515

Dreissena polymorpha as purifier tool of protozoa in wastewater treatment plant effluent

E. Géba, University of Reims ChampagneArdenne / UMRI SEBIO; D. Aubert, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie / EA3800; S. Betoulle, URCA / UMRI SEBIO; O. Dedourge-Geffard, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne / UMRI SEBIO; D. RIOULT, UMRI 02 INERIS-URCA-ULH SEBIO / MOBICYTE flow cytometry core facility; L. Durand, S. La Carbona, ACTALIA; I. Villena, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie / EA 3800; A. Geffard, Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne; A. Bigot-Clivot, University of Reims

Champagne-Ardenne / UMRI SEBIO

Aquatic environments are subject to discharges of multiple contaminants (chemical and biological compounds). Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are ineffective to remove environmental forms of protozoa such as Toxoplasma gondii and

Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts or Giardia duodenalis cysts because of their

resistance to chemical and physical treatments. These protozoa are clearly identified as a public health priority since they are major parasites of waterborne outbreaks. Many studies underline the interest of using of freshwater bivalve

Dreissena polymorpha for biomonitoring. Indeed, this bivalve has a huge filtration

capacity leading to an accumulation of chemical and biological contaminants in its tissues. The DROPPE (The dreissene as purifier tool of protozoa in WWTP effluent) project aims to test the depurative capacity of the zebra mussel in terms of protozoa’s contamination in WWTP effluents. To answer of this issue, it’s necessary to determine if D. polymorpha is able to live in good health in the multi-contaminated conditions in WWTPs effluent and D. polymoroha is able under these conditions, to bioaccumulate protozoa. For this purpose, two experiments were performed: 1- Zebra mussels were caged in the WWTP’s outlet channel (Charleville-Mézières, France) for 28 days. We studied morphometric parameters, filtration capacity, energetic reserves, enzymes related to oxidative stress (Superoxide dismutase, Catalase, Glutathione S-Transferase and Glutathione Peroxidase) at biochemical and molecular levels. The results suggest that D.

polymorpha can maintain itself in effluent for 21 days. 2- D. polymorpha was

exposed to different concentrations of protozoa (100, 1000 and 10000 protozoa per bivalve per day) for 21 days followed by 21 days of depuration in laboratory conditions. Detection of oocysts and cysts in tissues and heamolymph of bivalves was carried out by molecular biology techniques. The results highlight a time-dependent and dose-dependent bioaccumulation of protozoa by D.

polymorpha. Moreover, the parasite load remains stable during the 21 days of

depuration, suggesting that zebra mussels could integrate this biological contamination Considering these results, Dreissena polymorpha seems to be a promising tool for protozoa depuration. Keys words: protozoa, wastewater treatment plant, bivalve, depuration

516

Aquatic macrophytes potential for the removal of water contaminants - The Green Liver Application

S. Calado, Universidade Federal do Paraná / Ecologia e Conservação; M. Esterhuizen-Londt, Technical University of Berlin; H. Silva de Assis, UFPR / Pharmacology; S. Pflugmacher, University of Helsinki

Reservoirs are aquatic environments that are impacted by anthropogenic activities. The mainly activities around reservoirs in Brazil are agriculture and settlements. Agriculture and increase of nutrients can results in cyanobacterial blooms and cyanotoxins contamination; and settlements can results in inputs of several contaminants such as pharmaceuticals. Iraí Reservoir, located in South of Brazil, is