From the pills to environment - Prediction and tracking of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug concentrations in wastewater

The extend of environment pollution by pharmaceuticals is in a stage that required more automatic and integrated solutions. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are one of the most popular pharmaceutical in the world and emerging pollutants of natural waters. The aim of the paper was to check the correlation of the sales data of selected NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac) and their concentration in the WWTP in order to enable predicting their loads, having only the sales data. For calculations, we apply three discharge scenarios (the fates between purchased to the presence in influents), having in mind that some part of sold mass can be improperly dispose to sewage system. To support predictions, chemical analysis was conducted in two conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in Poland during 2018 and 2020, thereby before and during pandemic situation. The NSAIDs concentration in the influent was higher than that which would be obtained if all of the administrated mass of the pharmaceutical went through the metabolic pathway of transformation. This means that substantial mass of sold NSAIDs in improperly dispose to sewage system, and this factor need to be taken into account in future predictions. Furthermore, results indicate that the variance of naproxen and diclofenac concentrations in the influent has no correlation with relatively stable sales throughout whole year. The pandemic situation had yet no direct effect to diclofenac concentrations in influents, despite observed increasing of sales. It was calculated that more than 60 kg of diclofenac was discharged into the Baltic Sea in 2018, and 20 kg in the first half of 2021 from two tested WWTPs. The presence of 4OH-diclofenac in effluents often in higher concentration compared to diclofenac mean that this still biologically active compound need to be taken into account in future risk assessment.

Automated summary

The extent of pharmaceutical pollution in the environment requires more automatic and integrated solutions. This study focused on the correlation between sales data of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and their concentration in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The findings suggest that a significant amount of sold NSAIDs are improperly disposed into the sewage system, emphasizing the need for future predictions and risk assessments to consider this factor.