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A Survey on the Acute Aquatic Toxicity of Three Common Household Medicines:Human and Environmental Risk Assessment |
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A Survey on the Acute Aquatic Toxicity of Three Common Household Medicines:Human and Environmental Risk Assessment |
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Throughout many years improper disposal of over the counter drugs such as Benylin, Tylenol and Advil have been common practice among many household or business establishments. Disposal of these medicines in our sinks and toilets will directly go into our sewages and eventually to our bodies of water such as rivers, seas and oceans. The occurrence of these pharmaceuticals in different water bodies and their effects on the aquatic ecosystem in environmental toxicity testing have raised alarm about their potential risk to the environment and in the long term in human health. This study aims to determine the acute toxicity of three of the most common medicines found in many household and businesses. Using 48-hour static acute lethality test in D. magna, dose-response relationships of the active components of Benylin, Tylenol and Advil were determined. Among the three, Benylin is the most potent drug (LC50 = 2.0 parts per thousand) compared with Tylenol (LC50 = 4.0 parts per thousand) and Advil (LC50 = 8.2 mg/L). The high potency of Benylin may be attributed to the additive or synergistic effects of its active composition (pseudoephedrine, dextromethorphan HBr, guaifenesin and menthol).
The findings from this study will give us insights into the potential risk of improper disposal of over the counter drugs in our aquatic environment. These drugs could eliminate lower trophic aquatic organisms thereby eliminating food source of other aquatic biota. Hence, the aquatic ecological balance will potentially be disrupted resulting into more serious environmental problems. In addition, long term exposure from contaminated water may result in accumulation of these drugs particularly lipophilic compounds into the fish body or other edible aquatic life available for human consumption which will likewise potentially affect human health. Effects include DNA damage, developmental problems or perhaps death. Further investigation is needed to explore the effects of these drugs in the aquatic environment; suggested studies include chronic toxicity testing, developmental and reproductive toxicity tests in fish.