Drugs Down The Drain?
By Caelyn Radziunas
March 8, 2017
From birth control to ibuprofen, we are all likely consuming some form of medication on a regular or occasional basis. With large concentrations of young people inhabiting college campuses across the United States, one could reasonably expect that the pharmaceutical use of college students makes a noticeable impact on local water resources.
Dr. Christine Vatovec, an Assistant Research Professor of Human Health and the Environment at the University of Vermont, is currently investigating the complex relationship between students and pharmaceutical waste. With a background in the natural sciences and a Master’s degree in conservation biology, Vatovec shifted her research interests to the social sciences while earning a Ph.D. in Environment and Resources. She currently holds a primary position in the Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources and a secondary position in the College of Medicine and her combined interests led her to investigate the impacts of human medicine.
In her previous research, Dr. Vatovec looked at the ways in which medical facilities affect the environment. She found that pharmaceuticals are one of the major sources of environmental concern emanating from healthcare. Multiple studies have been conducted on the ecological dangers of these chemicals, which have the capability to easily enter waterways, where they may pollute human drinking water. Thus, in 2014, her investigative focus turned to Lake Champlain, specifically to the chemical concentrations present within its waters.
Most pharmaceutical waste reaches water sources by means of wastewater effluent, the liquid that remains after enduring the wastewater treatment process. Pharmaceuticals may enter municipal wastewater through excretion, bathing, or being flushed down the drain. Once in the wastewater, these chemicals pass through treatment facilities and are then carried into larger bodies of water. According to Dr. Vatovec, excretion is a major distributor of pharmaceutical chemicals, and depending on the drug, up to 90 percent may be excreted. Here in Burlington, Vermont, much of this wastewater ultimately drains into Lake Champlain.
Dr. Vatovec’s research has followed two inquiries. The first looks at common methods of pharmaceutical disposal, with particular attention given to those of university students. The second is related to the effect of demographic changes on the concentration of drugs in the wastewater effluent. Specifically, how does the chemical concentration of medications change when students, representing about one quarter of the city’s population, leave Burlington for summer break?
The first part of Dr. Vatovec’s investigation consisted of an online survey shared with 359 UVM students. Greater than half of all surveyed students possessed either over the counter or prescription drugs. Students were also surveyed on their disposal methods. Despite the fact that a majority of students responded as possessing leftover drugs, only 9 percent reported actually throwing away over the counter drugs, and only 13 percent threw away prescription drugs. Only 1 percent flushed their pharmaceuticals down the drain, which is a direct pathway to Lake Champlain. Many students choose to throw their pharmaceuticals in the garbage. Although this technique may appear less harmful to water systems than flushing, pharmaceuticals have the capacity to leach out of landfills into groundwater. This method does little to reduce the presence of pharmaceutical drugs within important water systems.
Interestingly, the majority of students were just holding onto their unused drugs. “If you extrapolate that to a larger level - an international or national level - there are tons of drugs accumulating in people’s medicine cabinets,” says Dr. Vatovec.
The next step in Dr. Vatovec’s investigation was to analyze the chemical concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the wastewater entering Lake Champlain. Although few students reported flushing their pharmaceuticals down the drain, Vatovec was curious about which pharmaceuticals enter the lake and whether or not pharmaceutical concentrations increase when large volumes of students are preparing to leave campus.
To study the fluid entering Lake Champlain, Dr. Vatovec teamed up with Dr. Patrick Phillips, Supervisory Hydrologist for the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Over a period of ten days, during which the UVM summer move-out period occurred, the pair analyzed wastewater effluent running into the lake and found over 50 chemicals present in 80 percent of the water samples.
A key observation made by Dr. Vatovec’s team was that pharmaceutical concentrations in wastewater effluent decreased as students departed from campus and chemical concentrations increased after students had left. Her results were not what she expected, but they made sense. College students, as a younger and healthier demographic, tend to contribute fewer pharmaceuticals to their wastewater. Therefore, the wastewater of students tends to have a diluting effect on the pharmaceuticals in the remainder of the city’s wastewater.
“UVM students are not contributing very much pharmaceutical [waste] right now; and yet, the role that they can play is to increase their awareness of this potential problem,” says Dr. Vatovec. According to Dr. Vatovec, it is important that college students become aware of biyearly National Drug Take-Back Days, during which citizens can safely dispose of drugs at designated take-back facilities. In her words, take-back is considered the “low-hanging fruit.” Although only a small percentage of the total pharmaceuticals entering the lake is prevented through take-back days, they are an important method of drug control. For city residents who are uncomfortable attending a take-back event, several locations in Burlington regularly offer take-back services. Although further research is required to understand the ways in which pharmaceuticals affect ecological systems, all residents can reduce their own personal contribution by engaging in take-back initiatives.
Dr. Vatovec’s research, while illuminating the demographics of pharmaceutical disposal, highlights a major problem. Little is known about the environmental impacts of these often heavily used drugs. According to Dr. Vatovec, the mixture of pharmaceuticals produces a “cocktail” effect, in which it is difficult to isolate the individual effects of any specific drug. To fully understand the ecological consequences of these cocktails, different mixtures must be tested individually on several different species. Due to the high costs of researching the pharmaceutical concentrations within wastewater, few extensive studies have been performed to better understand the role of these chemical concentrations in altering ecological systems.
Further investigation is needed to fully understand the impacts of our society’s affinity for pharmaceuticals. In the meantime, Dr. Vatovec’s research can encourage students to develop a deeper understanding of their personal role in mitigating environmental harm.
