tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Mar 2. [Epub ahead of print]
Assessing the Ecotoxicologic Hazards of a Pandemic Influenza Medical Response.
Singer AC, Colizza V, Schmitt H, Andrews J, Balcan D, Huang WE, Keller VD, Vespignani A, Williams RJ.
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology-Oxford.
Abstract
Background The global public health community has closely monitored the unfolding of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic to best mitigate its impact on society. However, little attention has been given to the impact of this response on the environment. Antivirals and antibiotics prescribed to treat influenza are excreted into wastewater in a biologically-active form, which presents a new and potentially significant ecotoxicologic challenge to microorganisms responsible for wastewater nutrient removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWPTs) and receiving rivers. Objectives Our objective was to assess the ecotoxicologic risks of a pandemic influenza medical response. Methods In order to evaluate this risk, we coupled a global spatially-structured epidemic model that simulates the quantities of antiviral and antibiotics used during an influenza pandemic of varying severity, with a water quality model applied to the Thames catchment to determine predicted environmental concentrations. An additional model was then used to assess the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms in WWTPs and rivers. Results Consistent with expectations, a mild pandemic was projected to exhibit a negligible ecotoxicologic hazard. In a moderate and severe pandemic, WWTP toxicity was projected to vary between 0-14% and 5-32% PAF, respectively, and river toxicity was projected to vary between 0-14 % and 0-30 % PAF, respectively, where PAF is the fraction of microbial species predicted to be growth-inhibited (lower and upper 95% RR). Conclusions The current pandemic influenza medical response might result in the discharge of insufficiently treated wastewater into receiving rivers, thereby increasing the risk of eutrophication and contamination of drinking water abstraction points. Widespread drugs in the environment could hasten the generation of drug resistance. These results highlight the need for empirical data on the effects of antibiotics and antiviral medications on WWTP and freshwater ecotoxicity.
PMID: 21367688 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Free Article
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21367688
Assessing the Ecotoxicologic Hazards of a Pandemic Influenza Medical Response.
Singer AC, Colizza V, Schmitt H, Andrews J, Balcan D, Huang WE, Keller VD, Vespignani A, Williams RJ.
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology-Oxford.
Abstract
Background The global public health community has closely monitored the unfolding of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic to best mitigate its impact on society. However, little attention has been given to the impact of this response on the environment. Antivirals and antibiotics prescribed to treat influenza are excreted into wastewater in a biologically-active form, which presents a new and potentially significant ecotoxicologic challenge to microorganisms responsible for wastewater nutrient removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWPTs) and receiving rivers. Objectives Our objective was to assess the ecotoxicologic risks of a pandemic influenza medical response. Methods In order to evaluate this risk, we coupled a global spatially-structured epidemic model that simulates the quantities of antiviral and antibiotics used during an influenza pandemic of varying severity, with a water quality model applied to the Thames catchment to determine predicted environmental concentrations. An additional model was then used to assess the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms in WWTPs and rivers. Results Consistent with expectations, a mild pandemic was projected to exhibit a negligible ecotoxicologic hazard. In a moderate and severe pandemic, WWTP toxicity was projected to vary between 0-14% and 5-32% PAF, respectively, and river toxicity was projected to vary between 0-14 % and 0-30 % PAF, respectively, where PAF is the fraction of microbial species predicted to be growth-inhibited (lower and upper 95% RR). Conclusions The current pandemic influenza medical response might result in the discharge of insufficiently treated wastewater into receiving rivers, thereby increasing the risk of eutrophication and contamination of drinking water abstraction points. Widespread drugs in the environment could hasten the generation of drug resistance. These results highlight the need for empirical data on the effects of antibiotics and antiviral medications on WWTP and freshwater ecotoxicity.
PMID: 21367688 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Free Article
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21367688