Neuroactive Pharmaceuticals in Minnesota Rivers
USGS Scientists Collected Water Samples
in Minnesota Rivers
A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Colorado measured seven neuroactive pharmaceutical compounds in treated wastewater and downstream receiving waters at 24 sites across Minnesota. The analysis of samples collected upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plants indicated that wastewater treatment plants were the major source of these chemicals.
These neuroactive pharmaceuticals include antidepressants, anti-seizure compounds, and mood stabilizers. The seven compounds (bupropion, carbamazepine, citalopram, fluoxetine, gabapentin, lamotrigine, and venlafaxine) were detected at concentrations ranging from tens of parts per trillion to parts per billion.
Metabolites (byproducts of biochemical transformation) of these compounds also were measured, and metabolites of bupropion, carbamazepine, and venlafaxine were measured commonly, often at comparable concentrations to their parent compounds. Metabolite to parent ratios were used to evaluate transformations among the various sites, and the ratios in wastewater were much lower than those reported for urine from human patients, indicating that the metabolites are relatively more labile than the parent compounds in the wastewater treatment plants and streams.
Results from this study provide a statewide benchmark for the occurrence of antidepressants, which are potential environmental contaminants of concern, and indicate that further understanding of the environmental fate and impacts of these compounds is warranted. The data from this study are available in Lee and others (2011), and Martinović-Weigelt and others (2014)provide additional results from this overall study.
The research was supported by the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
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A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Colorado measured seven neuroactive pharmaceutical compounds in treated wastewater and downstream receiving waters at 24 sites across Minnesota. The analysis of samples collected upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plants indicated that wastewater treatment plants were the major source of these chemicals.
These neuroactive pharmaceuticals include antidepressants, anti-seizure compounds, and mood stabilizers. The seven compounds (bupropion, carbamazepine, citalopram, fluoxetine, gabapentin, lamotrigine, and venlafaxine) were detected at concentrations ranging from tens of parts per trillion to parts per billion.
Metabolites (byproducts of biochemical transformation) of these compounds also were measured, and metabolites of bupropion, carbamazepine, and venlafaxine were measured commonly, often at comparable concentrations to their parent compounds. Metabolite to parent ratios were used to evaluate transformations among the various sites, and the ratios in wastewater were much lower than those reported for urine from human patients, indicating that the metabolites are relatively more labile than the parent compounds in the wastewater treatment plants and streams.
Results from this study provide a statewide benchmark for the occurrence of antidepressants, which are potential environmental contaminants of concern, and indicate that further understanding of the environmental fate and impacts of these compounds is warranted. The data from this study are available in Lee and others (2011), and Martinović-Weigelt and others (2014)provide additional results from this overall study.
The research was supported by the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Related science listed below.