Chemical and biochemical characterization and in vivo safety evaluation of pharmaceuticals in drinking water

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and chemistry Vol. 35; no. 11; pp. 2674 - 2682
• Main Authors: de Jesus Gaffney, Vanessa, Mota-Filipe, Helder, Pinto, Rui Amaro, Thiemermann, Chris, Loureiro, Marta, Cardoso, Vitor Vale, Benoliel, Maria João, Almeida, Cristina M.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2016
• Subjects: Analytical toxicology; Animals; Biochemistry; Biological samples; Caffeine; Caffeine - analysis; Caffeine - urine; Carbamazepine - analysis; Carbamazepine - urine; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Chronic exposure; Drinking water; Drinking Water - chemistry; Drugs; Environmental Exposure; Erythromycin - analysis; Erythromycin - urine; Exposure; Kidney - metabolism; Liquid chromatography; Liver - metabolism; Mass spectrometry; Metabolites; Microorganisms; Models, Theoretical; Organ toxicity; Pharmaceutical; Pharmaceutical Preparations - analysis; Pharmaceutical Preparations - urine; Pharmaceuticals; Rat; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Toxicity; Trace levels; Water pollution; Water Purification - methods; Water quality; Water resources; Organ toxicity; Pharmaceutical; Rat; Analytical toxicology; Water quality; Chronic exposure
• ISSN: 0730-7268; 1552-8618
• DOI: 10.1002/etc.3451

The water constituents that are currently subject to legal control are only a small fraction of the vast number of chemical substances and microorganisms that may occur in both the environment and water resources. The main objective of the present study was to study the health impact resulting from exposure to a mixture of pharmaceuticals that have been detected in tap water at low doses. Analyses of atenolol, caffeine, erythromycin, carbamazepine, and their metabolites in blood, urine, feces, fat tissue, liver, and kidney after exposure to a mixture of these pharmaceuticals in treated drinking water were performed. The effects of this exposure were assessed in rats by measuring biochemical markers of organ injury or dysfunction. Simultaneously, the selected pharmaceuticals were also quantified in both physiological fluids and organ homogenates by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (performed in multiple reaction monitoring mode and full scan mode). Following exposure of rats to a concentration of a pharmaceutical which was 10 times higher than the concentration known to be present in tap water, trace levels of some pharmaceuticals and their metabolites were detected in biological samples. This exposure did, however, not lead to significant organ injury or dysfunction. Thus, the authors report an experimental model that can be used to characterize the safety profile of pharmaceuticals in treated drinking water using a multiorgan toxicity approach. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2674–2682. © 2016 SETAC