Emerging investigator series: towards a framework for establishing the impacts of pharmaceuticals in wastewater irrigation systems on agro-ecosystems and human health

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dc.contributor.authorCarter, Laura J.
dc.contributor.authorChefetz, Benny
dc.contributor.authorAbdeen, Ziad
dc.contributor.authorBoxall, Alistair B. A.
dc.date.accessioned2019-11-17T17:55:19Z
dc.date.available2019-11-17T17:55:19Z
dc.date.issued2019-04-01
dc.description.abstractUse 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.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipWe would like to acknowledge the British Council who funded this project through their Institutional Links Science, Technology and Research Exchange Across Mena (STREAM) programme (project number 277947262).en_US
dc.identifier.citationTY - 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 -en_US
dc.identifier.issn2050-7895
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.alquds.edu/handle/20.500.12213/4930
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.titleEmerging investigator series: towards a framework for establishing the impacts of pharmaceuticals in wastewater irrigation systems on agro-ecosystems and human healthen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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