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Home > Technical Articles > Drugs
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Home > Technical Articles > Drugs
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| In the last 20 years, scientists have realized that some Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCP) are produced and used in such large quantities that they have an impact on the environment. Many drugs are either partially metabolized in the body and/or their metabolites retain pharmacological activity. So most drugs make it into the environment through human wastes. Even though they may degrade in the environment to relatively harmless substances, they are constantly being replenished. Therefore |
some drugs can be detected at very low levels in water. The
impact of trace amounts of drugs on the ecosystem is under
study. A review was written by C.G. Daughton and T.A. Ternes and published in Environmental Health Perspectives, 107, page 907, (1999). This and other articles are available online at an EPA web site. USGS appears to be taking a leading role in assessing these contaminants in surface waters. |
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| Our interest in this area is to develop a screening test for determining pharmaceutical drugs in the environment, primarily drinking water supplies. The test would be based on GCMS similar to EPA 8270. However many drugs are not amenable to GC. Currently we are experimenting with extraction and derivatization techniques with model compounds to determine the best experimental approach. This | approach should be useful for determining analgesics (ibuprofen, acetaminophen), anti-convulsants (diazepam, dilantin), steroids, antidepressants (Prozac, amitriptyline), and cardiovascular drugs. Antibiotics and lipid lowering drugs are generally not amenable to GC even with derivatization. |
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