Medicines have an important role in the treatment and prevention of disease in both humans and animals. Although the side effects on human and animal health are usually investigated in thorough safety and toxicology studies, the potential environmental impacts of the manufacture and use of medicines are less well understood and have only recently become a topic of research interest A wide range of human medicines, including antibiotics, statins or cytotoxins used in cancer treatment, are produced and used, some in the range of thousands of tons per year. Once released into the environment, pharmaceuticals will be transported and distributed to air, water, soil or sediment. A range of factors, such as the physico-chemical properties of the compound and the characteristics of the receiving environment, will affect their distribution. The degree to which a pharmaceutical is transported between the different environmental media primarily depends on the sorption behaviour of the substance in soils, sediment-water systems and treatment plants, which varies widely across pharmaceuticals.
SUBSTANCE |
CLASS |
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT |
|
Erythromycin |
Antibacterial |
Inhibition of growth cyanobacteria and aquatic plants |
|
Tetracycline |
Antibacterial |
Inhibition of growth cyanobacteria and aquatic plants |
|
Ibuprofen |
Anti-inflammatory |
Stimulation of growth of cyanobacteria and inhibition of growth of aquatic plants |
|
Diclofenac |
Analgesic |
Inhibition of basal EROD activity in cultures of rainbow trout hepatocytes |
|
Propanolol |
Beta blocker |
Weak EROD inducer in cultures of rainbow trout hepatocytes |
|
Sulphamethazole |
Antibacterial |
Inhibition of basal EROD activity in cultures of rainbow trout hepatocytes |
|
Clofibrate |
Lipid regulator |
Inhibition of basal EROD activity in cultures of rainbow trout hepatocytes |
|
Diazepam |
Antianxiety drug |
Inhibition in the ability of dissected polyps from the cnidarian Hydra Vulgaris to regenerate a hypostome, tentacles and a foot |
|
Digoxin |
Cardiac glycoside |
Inhibition in the ability of dissected polyps from the cnidarian Hydra Vulgaris to regenerate a hypostome, tentacles and a foot |
Kinnari Arte
S.Y.B. Pharm.
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