Meeting Abstract
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are commonly used throughout the developed world and enter natural water systems due to incomplete removal during wastewater treatment. When exposed to UV radiation in sunlight, many pharmaceuticals degrade into related compounds that may be more toxic than the original compound. In addition, continual release of PPCPs in daily use can maintain elevated levels in the environment despite rapid degradation, a phenomenon known as pseudo-persistence. Fluoxetine (Prozac®) and sertraline (Zoloft®) are widely prescribed antidepressant medications, which are frequently documented in surface waters and sewage effluent. Although effects of these pharmaceuticals have been shown for various aquatic organisms, very little is known about the effects of their degradants. Anaxyrus terrestris (southern toad) tadpoles were used to investigate acute and sub-lethal effects of sertraline, fluoxetine, and their UV-photodegradants. Sertraline was more toxic to tadpoles than fluoxetine. A sertraline solution was exposed to UV radiation for different amounts of time, and tadpoles were exposed to the resulting solutions. The sertraline solution decreased in toxicity as UV exposure time increased, as the photodegradants themselves rapidly degraded in the exposed solutions. We are currently conducting similar tests with fluoxetine to understand how its toxicity is affected by UV degradation. Our research underscores the importance of understanding the effects and fate of pharmaceutical degradants as well as the pharmaceuticals themselves within the environment.
