Emerging investigator series: towards a framework for establishing the impacts of pharmaceuticals in wastewater irrigation systems on agro-ecosystems and human health
Date
2019-04-01
Authors
Carter, Laura J.
Chefetz, Benny
Abdeen, Ziad
Boxall, Alistair B. A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Use of reclaimed wastewater for agricultural irrigation is seen as an attractive option to meet agricultural
water demands of a growing number of countries suffering from water scarcity. However, reclaimed
wastewater contains pollutants which are introduced to the agro-environment during the irrigation
process. While water reuse guidelines do consider selected classes of pollutants, they do not account for
the presence of pollutants of emerging concern such as pharmaceuticals and the potential risks these
may pose. Here we use source–pathway–receptor analysis (S–P–R) to develop a holistic framework for
evaluating the impacts of pharmaceuticals, present in wastewater used for agricultural irrigation, on
human and ecosystem health and evaluate the data availability for the framework components. The
developed framework comprised of 34 processes and compartments but a good level of knowledge was
available for only five of these suggesting that currently it is not possible to fully establish the impacts of
pharmaceuticals in wastewater irrigation systems. To address this, work is urgently needed to understand
the fate and transport of pharmaceuticals in arable soil systems and the effects of chronic low-level
exposure to these substances on microbes, invertebrates, plants, wildlife and humans. In addition,
research pertaining to the fate, uptake and effects of pharmaceutical mixtures and metabolites is lacking
as well as data on bio-accessibility of pharmaceuticals after ingestion. Scientific advancements in the five
areas prioritised in terms of future research are needed before we are able to fully quantify the
agricultural and human health risks associated with reclaimed wastewater use.
Description
Keywords
Citation
TY - JOUR AU - Carter, Laura AU - Chefetz, Benny AU - Abdeen, Ziad AU - Boxall, Alistair PY - 2019/04/01 SP - T1 - Emerging investigator series: Towards a framework for establishing the impacts of pharmaceuticals in wastewater irrigation systems on agro-ecosystems and human health VL - 21 DO - 10.1039/C9EM00020H JO - Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts ER -