Pharmaceuticals in Biosolids:โ Gauteng province Studyโข Reveals Potential Risks to Soilโฃ and Human โHealth
JOHANNESBURG,โ SOUTH AFRICA โข – A new study โคhas detected a range of pharmaceuticals in municipalโค biosolidsโ – โtreated sewage sludge used as fertilizer – โfrom wastewater treatment plants acrossโ Gauteng Province, raising concerns about potential ecological and human health impacts. Researchers identified compounds including analgesics, antibiotics, andโ hormones, highlighting the need for improved monitoring and risk management strategiesโฃ regarding biosolids application to agricultural land.
The presence of these pharmaceuticals in biosolids represents a growing global challenge. As populations consume more medications, wastewater treatment plants are increasingly unable toโฃ fully โremove theseโฃ compounds, โleading to their accumulation in sludge. Theโข practice of โฃapplying biosolids to agricultural soils, while beneficial for nutrient recycling, introduces these pharmaceuticals into theโค habitat, perhaps impacting soil microorganisms, plant uptake, and ultimately, the โfood chain. This study, focused on fourโฃ wastewaterโฃ treatment plants servingโ a densely โpopulated region of South Africa, provides critical data โforโ assessing the extent of this contaminationโฃ and informing future mitigation efforts.
The research, published recently, โคinvestigated โthe occurrenceโข andโค distributionโค ofโข selected pharmaceuticals in biosolids generated by wastewater treatment plantsโ in Gautengโค province. analysis revealed the presence โof compoundsโค suchโฃ as ibuprofen, naproxen, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and estrone. Concentrations varied between โtreatment plants, influenced byโ factors like catchment population size and โฃwastewater composition.โ Martรญnโ etโ al. (2012) previously documentedโข the distributionโข and temporal evolution of pharmaceutically active compounds alongside sewage sludge treatment,emphasizing the riskโ assessment needed for sludge application onto soils. โข
Bolesta, Gลodniok, and Styszko (2022) highlighted โthe transfer of pharmaceuticals โฃfrom sewage sludge to soil in a extensive review, underscoring the potential for these compounds toโข persist and accumulate in the environment. The Gauteng study buildsโ on this existing body of knowledge by โฃproviding โฃlocalizedโ data relevant to south African conditions. Further research is needed toโข fullyโ characterize the long-term effects of biosolids-borne pharmaceuticals on soil health,โค crop safety, and human โexposure โpathways. The findings underscoreโค the urgency of implementing advanced wastewater treatment technologies โand โขdeveloping sustainable biosolids management practices to โฃprotect both environmental and public health.
