How much API is excreted into water systems? | Sustainable Healthcare Networks Hub

Dear Network,

I am part of the pharmaceutical pollution hub and have done some top level work on the area of pharmaceutical pollution. However, I am looking for your help to source where on here I read that 100% of APIs are excreted into our water systems. I am certain I read this and I cannot seem to fin the source if you could kindly help me?

I know we have said in the past something like between 30-90...but I am sure it is more certain it is higher now...

Thank you in advance of your help.

Kind regards

Mel

Comments (4)

Ben Izzard • 2 days ago

While the article does not claim that 100% of drugs are excreted, it reports that active pharmaceutical ingredients were detected at 96% of the river sites monitored across England’s National Parks. https://networks.sustainablehealthcare.org.uk/resources/pharmaceutical-… --> maybe this is what you found?

Melissa Pegg • 1 day ago

Hi Ben, thank you very much for your reply! I am really grateful! Funnily enough, I actually work for the University of York where this research was undertaken. It is a staggering figure isnt it. I appreciate you sharing it so that others can hopefully highlight it in their work too! All the very best, Mel

Sharon Pfleger • 1 day ago

Hi Mel,

The figures you quote (30-90%) were the percentage of meds that were unmetabolised by a patient's body and therefore excreted into water systems.

This was the original figure quoted for the BioIntelligence report back in 2013. I thought that this was no longer current so I looked into the excretion of drugs above 90% unmetabolised. One such drug is widely prescribed - 100% of gabapentin is excreted unmetabolised. So it is my work that you are getting this number from . When I present across the world I now update and change the BIointelligence number to 30-100% of drugs excreted.... here are some of my publications which use the updated figure of 100%.

https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1214#:~:text=%E2%80%9CEven%20thoug…

https://www.gcu.ac.uk/aboutgcu/universitynews/research-looks-at-pharmac…

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11749214/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724070864

Hope this is helpful.

Kind regards, Sharon

Melissa Pegg • 1 day ago

Thank you very much for this extremely helpful information Sharon. I am deeply grateful! Kind regards, Mel

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