Comprehensive evaluation of residual pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment and their removal efficiency in wastewater treatment plant

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H00786
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Risk sciences of radiation and chemicals
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Nakada Norihide 京都大学, 工学研究科, 講師 (00391615)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 井原 賢 京都大学, 工学研究科, 特定助教 (70450202)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 薬理活性 / 環境医薬品 / 予測スクリーニング / バイオアッセイ / 精密質量分析 / 下水処理

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to gain a further understanding of residual pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment and to assess their impact on the aquatic organisms in the future. Targeted instrumental analysis and a bioassay that can detect physiological activity directly from water samples were applied to wastewater samples together with suspect screening based on the approaches to qualify untargeted or unknown active substances. A total of 36 types of G-protein-conjugated receptor antagonists, including 4 metabolites or degradation products were quantified in the wastewater samples from 5 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The results revealed that low removal efficiencies of them and their activities by the conventional wastewater treatment and the occurrence of metabolites or degradation products at a relatively high concentrations and frequency of detection in the effluent of WWTPs.

Free Research Field

環境化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

水環境中に残留する医薬品の定量は、これまでは分析用標準物質が販売されている比較的古い薬剤に対するターゲット分析が主流であったが、それでは残留医薬品の評価に漏れが生じている可能性がある。また、今後の残留医薬品の評価においては、化学物質としてではなく、薬効成分として評価する必要がある。このような背景から、水試料からの薬理活性の直接の検出と予測スクリーニングを組合せ、残留医薬品を評価した点は革新的であると言える。