Spatio-Temporal Distribution and Influencing Factors of Human and Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in the Tributary Surface Waters of the Han River Watershed, South Korea.

Jong Kwon Im,Soon Ju Yu,Young Seuk Kim,Sang Hun Kim

doi:10.3390/ijerph18157969

Abstract

Human and veterinary pharmaceuticals are being increasingly used for disease treatment; hence, their distribution and factors influencing them in the aquatic environment need to be investigated. This study observed the effect of human and animal populations, usage, purchasing criteria (prescription vs. non-prescription), and land use to identify the spatio-temporal distribution of eight pharmaceuticals at twenty-four sites of the tributaries of the Han River watershed. In rural areas, the mean concentration (detection frequency) of non-prescription pharmaceuticals (NPPs) was higher (lower) compared to that of prescription pharmaceuticals (PPs); in urban areas, a reverse trend was observed. Pharmaceutical concentrations in urban and rural areas were mainly affected by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and non-point sources, respectively; concentrations were higher downstream (4.9 times) than upstream of the WWTPs. The concentration distribution (according to the target) was as follows: human–veterinary > human > veterinary. Correlation between total concentration and total usage of the pharmaceuticals was high, except for NPPs. Most livestock and land use (except cropland) were significantly positively correlated with pharmaceutical concentrations. Concentrations were mainly higher (1.5 times) during cold seasons than during warm seasons. The results of this study can assist policymakers in managing pharmaceutical pollutants while prioritizing emerging pollutants.

Highlights

Published: 28 July 2021Pharmaceuticals, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and antibiotics, are used for treating human and animal diseases but are considered emerging pollutants, categorized into two classes [1,2]
Prescription pharmaceuticals (PPs) are drugs prescribed by a doctor for specialized medical treatment and non-prescription pharmaceuticals (NPPs) are drugs that do not require a prescription and can be purchased over-the-counter [3]
Eight pharmaceutical compounds of different therapeutic classes were investigated at twenty-four sites of the tributaries in the Han River watershed

Summary

Introduction

Published: 28 July 2021Pharmaceuticals, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and antibiotics, are used for treating human and animal diseases but are considered emerging pollutants, categorized into two classes [1,2]. While pharmaceutical drug use is increasing, owing to their benefits and the ongoing development of new pharmaceutical drugs [2,5], they are becoming environmentally ubiquitous in surface water, wastewater treatment facility effluent [6,7,8,9,10], groundwater [11,12], untreated sources of drinking water [13], and freshwater habitats in urban and agricultural areas [14]. Various factors influence the distribution patterns of pharmaceuticals in urban and rural surface water, including intake and usage patterns [15,16,17], population growth [18,19], population size of animals [20,21], land use [22,23], and physicochemical properties [24,25].

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