• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.409-419
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• 2013

In this study, the analytical method for 27 residual pharmaceuticals in raw water was developed. Online sample preconcentration/extraction and analysis with high resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/Orbitrap MS) were performed. The calibration curves showed good linearities (above $r^2$ = 0.998) in the range of 5 ~ 1,000 ng/L. The method detection limit and the limit of quantification were 1.1 ~ 10.0 ng/L and 3.4 ~ 31.7 ng/L, respectively. Recoveries of the target compounds were between 70.1% and 115.8% (except cefadroxil, cefradine, vancomycin, and iopromide (50.2 ~ 67.0%)). The optimized analytical method can be useful to determine the residual pharmaceuticals in raw water.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.572-578
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• 2010

The extraction/clean-up and concentrating of pharmaceuticals from surface water were performed by HLB (Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balanced) cartridge. The method allows for the simultaneous determination of six pharmaceuticals by HPLC/ESI(+)-MS/MS. Recoveries of the pharmaceutical were between 71.1 to 92.6% (except fenbendazole) and the overall variability of the method was below 11.2% (RSD). The calibration curves for the pharmaceuticals from blank surface water showed good linearities (above $r^2$ = 0.99) in the concentration range of 0.007~1.2 ng/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 7.2~128.7 pg/mL and 23.8~429.1 pg/mL, respectively. The present analytical method can be useful for monitoring residual pharmaceuticals in surface water and other aquatic samples. High concentrations of iopromide and fenbendazole were detected in a few samples of surface water.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.367-377
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• 2019

In this study, the fate and removal of 15 pharmaceuticals (including stimulants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, etc.) in unit processes of a sewage treatment plant (STP) were investigated. Mass loads of pharmaceuticals were 2,598 g/d in the influent, 2,745 g/d in the primary effluent, 143 g/d in the secondary effluent, and 134 g/d in the effluent. The mass loads were reduced by 95% in the biological treatment process, but total phosphorous treatment did not show a significant effect on the removal of most pharmaceuticals. Also, mass balance analysis was performed to evaluate removal characteristics of pharmaceuticals in the biological treatment process. Acetaminophen, caffeine, acetylsalicylic acid, cefradine, and naproxen were efficiently removed in the biological treatment process mainly due to biodegradation. Removal efficiencies of gemfibrozil, ofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin were not high, but their removal was related to sorption onto sludge. This study provides useful information on understanding removal characteristics of pharmaceuticals in unit processes in the STP.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.212.2-212.2
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• 2002

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.453-479
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• 2011

Residual pharmaceutical compounds have been recognized as emerging environmental pollutants and are widely distributed all over the world. These compounds cause bioaccumulation and biomagnification during present for a long time in the environment: thereby after adversely biota and human bodies. It is difficult to remove residual pharmaceutical compounds using conventional water/wastewater treatment because of resistant property to photodegradation, biodegradation and chemical decomposition. Moreover, domestic literature data on the pollution of residual pharmaceutical compounds in rivers and lakes are limited. In this paper, species, sources, fate and risk of residual pharmaceutical compounds as well as behavior properties in freshwater resources are demonstrated to encourage the domestic concern about residual pharmaceutical compounds. An extensive review of existing data in the form of figures and tables, encompassing many therapeutic classes are presented.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.45-64
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• 2020

Objectives: Limited information is available on the presence and associated ecological risks of pharmaceutical residues in aquatic environments near pharmaceutical manufacturing areas in Korea. In this study, we investigated the current state of pharmaceutical contamination and its associated ecological risks in streams near a pharmaceutical manufacturing complex. Methods: Seven pharmaceuticals (acetaminophen, clarithromycin, diclofenac, diphenhydramine, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid and roxithromycin) were measured in water samples collected from the streams near a pharmaceutical manufacturing complex. A predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) was derived using either the assessment factor method or species sensitivity distribution method. In addition, a hazard quotient for each pharmaceutical was calculated by dividing its measured environmental concentration by its PNEC. Results: Samples collected downstream from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) had higher concentrations of pharmaceuticals than those collected from the reference site (upstream). Moreover, pharmaceutical concentrations were greater in ambient water than in the final effluent from the WWTP, which suggested that non-point sources were contributing to the contamination of the ambient water environment. Some of the target pharmaceuticals exhibited a hazard quotient >1, indicating that their potential ecological effects on the aquatic environment near the pharmaceutical industrial area should not be ignored. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the pharmaceutical manufacturing area was contaminated with residual drugs, and that there was a possible non-point source near the WWTP effluent discharge area. The results of this study will aid in the development of management plans for pharmaceuticals, particularly in hotspots such as pharmaceutical industrial sites and their vicinities.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.345-350
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• 2005

Acute toxicities of five pharmaceutical products were evaluated with aquatic microbes, invertebrates, and fish. The test pharmaceuticals, i.e., cimetidine, carbamazepine, diltiazem, acetaminophene, and metformin have been often detected in aquatic environment, but theire cological hazard on receptors of various trophic levels has seldom been evaluated. In the present study, we conducted acute toxicity assays with a marine bacterium, Vibrio fischeri, an invertebrate, Daphnia magna, and a fish, Japanese medake (Oryzias latipes). In general, D. magna, showed the most sensitive response to the test chemicals. Diltiazem exhibited the lowest EC50 value after 96 hr of exposure at 7.6 mg/L, followed by cimetidine >acetaminophen > metformin = carbamazepine in an order of decreasing susceptibility. With the fish, diltiazem and carbamazepine showed the 96 hr EC50 values at 14.1${\sim}$35.4 mg/L while acetaminophen, cimetidine, and metformin did not cause 50% mortality at 100 mg/L. Similar pattern was noted with the Microtox Assay, with which the median effective concentrations for acetaminophen, cimetidine, and metformin were found at the range between 301.8 and 755.4 mg/L. Carbamazepine and diltiazem exposure to the microbes resulted in EC50 values around 50 mg/L. Predicted no effect concentrations (PECs) of these pharmaceuticals derived from the EC5O values obtained from this study, and predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) obtained from available literatures were utilized to estimate ecological risks of the test compounds. No test pharmaceuticals resulted in risk quotients (PEC/PNEC) greater than 1, which suggests no serious potential ecological concerns. It should be noted however that further studies including the refinement of PEC derivation, identification and toxicity assessment of the metabolites and/or their interactions with other stressors may be warranted to better understand the environmental consequences of the residual pharmaceutical discharge to the waterway.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.469-480
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• 2019

This study was conducted to evaluate the degradation and mineralization of PPCPs (Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products) using a CBD(Collimated Beam Device) of UV/H₂O₂ advanced oxidation process. The decomposition rate of each substance was regarded as the first reaction rate to the ultraviolet irradiation dose. The decomposition rate constants for PPCPs were determined by the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet irradiation intensity. If the decomposition rate constant is large, the PPCPs concentration decreases rapidly. According to the decomposition rate constant, chlortetracycline and sulfamethoxazole are expected to be sufficiently removed by UV irradiation only without the addition of hydrogen peroxide. In the case of carbamazepine, however, very high UV dose was required in the absence of hydrogen peroxide. Other PPCPs required an appropriate concentration of hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet irradiation intensity. The UV dose required to remove 90% of each PPCPs using the degradation rate constant can be calculated according to the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in each sample. Using this reaction rate, the optimum UV dose and hydrogen peroxide concentration for achieving the target removal rate can be obtained by the target PPCPs and water properties. It can be a necessary data to establish design and operating conditions such as UV lamp type, quantity and hydrogen peroxide concentration depending on the residence time for the most economical operation.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.837-843
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• 2012

The aims of this study were to investigated the occurrence of caffeine and carbamazepine in Nakdong river basin (8 mainstreams and 2 tributaries) and the behavior of caffeine and carbamazepine under drinking water treatment processes (conventional and advanced processes). The examination results showed that caffeine was detected at all sampling sites (5.4~558.5 ng/L), but carbamazepine was detected at five sampling sites (5.1~79.4 ng/L). The highest concentration level of caffeine and carbamazepine in the mainstream and tributaries in Nakdong river were Goryeong and Jinchun-cheon, respectively. These pharmaceutical products were completely removed when they were subject to conventional plus advanced processes of drinking water treatment processes. Conventional processes of coagulation, sedimentation and sand-filtration were not effective for their removal, while advanced processes of ozonation and biological activated carbon (BAC) filtration were effective. Among these pharmaceuticals, carbamazeoine was more subject to ozonation than caffeine.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.111-125
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• 2018

Solvents can be used in the manufacture of medicinal products provided their residual levels in the final product comply with the acceptable limits based on safety data. At worldwide level, these limits are set by the "Guideline Q3C (R6) on impurities: guideline for residual solvents" issued by the ICH. Diisopropyl ether (DIPE) is a widely used solvent but the possibility of using it in the pharmaceutical manufacture is uncertain because the ICH Q3C guideline includes it in the group of solvents for which "no adequate toxicological data on which to base a Permitted Daily Exposure (PDE) was found". We performed a risk assessment of DIPE based on available toxicological data, after carefully assessing their reliability using the Klimisch score approach. We found sufficiently reliable studies investigating subchronic, developmental, neurological toxicity and carcinogenicity in rats and genotoxicity in vitro. Recent studies also investigated a wide array of toxic effects of gasoline/DIPE mixtures as compared to gasoline alone, thus allowing identifying the effects of DIPE itself. These data allowed a comprehensive toxicological evaluation of DIPE. The main target organs of DIPE toxicity were liver and kidney. DIPE was not teratogen and had no genotoxic effects, either in vitro or in vivo. However, it appeared to increase the number of malignant tumors in rats. Therefore, DIPE could be considered as a non-genotoxic animal carcinogen and a PDE of 0.98 mg/day was calculated based on the lowest No Observed Effect Level (NOEL) value of $356mg/m^3$ (corresponding to 49 mg/kg/day) for maternal toxicity in developmental rat toxicity study. In a worst-case scenario, using an exceedingly high daily dose of 10 g/day, allowed DIPE concentration in pharmaceutical substances would be 98 ppm, which is in the range of concentration limits for ICH Q3C guideline class 2 solvents. This result might be considered for regulatory decisions.