TY - CONF
T1 - Occurrence and concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds in private wells in Central Pennsylvania
AU - Kibuye, Faith A.
AU - Elkin, Kyle R.
AU - Gall, Heather E.
AU - Elliott, Herschel A.
AU - Watson, John E.
AU - Swistock, Bryan
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by the Pennsylvania Sea Grant. Faith A. Kibuye is supported by a fellowship from the Pennsylvania State University Department of Agriculture and Biological Engineering. Heather E. Gall is supported, in part, by the Pennsylvania State University Institutes of Energy and the Environment. Herschel A. Elliot, Heather E. Gall, and John E. Watson are supported, in part, by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Federal Appropriations under Project PEN04574 and Accession number 1004448. The authors would like to thank Pennsylvania State University Extension program and all study participants from the Pennsylvania Master Well Owner Network.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. All rights reserved.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Over-the-counter and prescription medications are routinely present at detectable levels in surface and groundwater bodies. The presence of these emerging contaminants has raised both environmental and public health concerns, particularly when these water supplies are used as drinking water sources. However, the frequency of occurrence, range of concentrations, and potential health risks are not yet well understood, especially for groundwater supplies. We partnered with the Pennsylvania Master Well Owner Network to collect raw water samples from 26 households with private wells in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River Basin. All samples were analyzed for seven over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals: Acetaminophen, ampicillin, caffeine, naproxen, ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim. At least one compound was detected at all sites, with ofloxacin detected in 100% of samples while naproxen was not detected in any samples collected. Samples collected from the groundwater wells were compared to surface water samples collected from the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and were found to be higher in the groundwater during the same sampling period. A simple modeling approach based on the pharmaceuticals’ physicochemical parameters (half-life and retardation factor) was employed to provide insight into the differences in frequency of detection for the target pharmaceuticals. Additionally, risk calculations revealed that none of the concentrations observed in the groundwater wells posed any significant human health risk, with risk quotients well below the minimal risk value. However, the risk assessment does not address the potential effect of exposure to mixtures of pharmaceuticals that are likely present in water simultaneously.
AB - Over-the-counter and prescription medications are routinely present at detectable levels in surface and groundwater bodies. The presence of these emerging contaminants has raised both environmental and public health concerns, particularly when these water supplies are used as drinking water sources. However, the frequency of occurrence, range of concentrations, and potential health risks are not yet well understood, especially for groundwater supplies. We partnered with the Pennsylvania Master Well Owner Network to collect raw water samples from 26 households with private wells in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River Basin. All samples were analyzed for seven over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals: Acetaminophen, ampicillin, caffeine, naproxen, ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim. At least one compound was detected at all sites, with ofloxacin detected in 100% of samples while naproxen was not detected in any samples collected. Samples collected from the groundwater wells were compared to surface water samples collected from the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and were found to be higher in the groundwater during the same sampling period. A simple modeling approach based on the pharmaceuticals’ physicochemical parameters (half-life and retardation factor) was employed to provide insight into the differences in frequency of detection for the target pharmaceuticals. Additionally, risk calculations revealed that none of the concentrations observed in the groundwater wells posed any significant human health risk, with risk quotients well below the minimal risk value. However, the risk assessment does not address the potential effect of exposure to mixtures of pharmaceuticals that are likely present in water simultaneously.
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U2 - 10.13031/aim.201800970
DO - 10.13031/aim.201800970
M3 - Paper
AN - SCOPUS:85054162635
T2 - ASABE 2018 Annual International Meeting
Y2 - 29 July 2018 through 1 August 2018
ER -