Study Examines Efficiency of Medicine Removal from Wastewater Treatment Plants
Anne McElroy, Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), co-led a study that examined the effectiveness of different technologies used at seven wastewater treatment plants in the Eastern US. Professor Diana Aga, from the University at Buffalo, co-led the research with McElroy and UB chemistry PhD student Luisa Angeles was the first author.
“The number of pharmaceutically-active ingredients (API) and their known or suspected active metabolites in coastal waters is in the hundreds and continues to increase,” said McElroy. “Data collected from our project has enhanced knowledge about sewage-derived APIs and their effects on fish behavior and how well advanced wastewater treatment technologies reduce API discharges and mitigate these effects.”
The study — funded by New York Sea Grant and published in the journal Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology — showed mixed results in removing medicines such as antibiotics and antidepressants. Associate Professor Bruce Brownawell, SoMAS, and Howard Sirotkin, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, were also part of the research team from Stony Brook, along with SoMAS graduate student Irvin Huang.
The research highlighted the effectiveness of two treatment methods: granular activated carbon and ozonation. Both of these techniques reduced the concentration of a number of pharmaceuticals, including certain antidepressants and antibiotics, in water by more than 95% according to the scientists’ analysis.
The findings are important because any drugs discharged from treatment plants can enter the environment, where they may contribute to phenomena such as antibiotic resistance, or be consumed by wildlife. The research also demonstrated that larval zebrafish did not change their behavior when they were exposed to wastewater discharged from treatment plants.
“Our research adds to a growing body of work showing that advanced treatment methods, including ozonation and activated carbon, can be very effective at removing persistent pharmaceuticals from wastewater,” said McElroy.
For more information on how to address unwanted medicines and personal care products, visit the New York Sea Grant website. You can also help protect New York’s waterways by participating in Drug Take Back Day.