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Pharmaceutical Formulation Facilities as Sources of Opioids and Other Pharmaceuticals to Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents

Patrick J. Phillips*^†, Steven G. Smith^‡, D. W. Kolpin^§, Steven D. Zaugg^‡, Herbert T. Buxton, Edward T. Furlong^‡, Kathleen Esposito and Beverley Stinson^#

US Geological Survey, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, New York 12180, US Geological Survey, Box 25046, MS415, Lakewood, Colorado 80225, US Geological Survey, 400 S. Clinton Street, Iowa City, Iowa 52244, US Geological Survey, Suite 206, 810 Bear Tavern Road, West Trenton, New Jersey 08628, AECOM, 605 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10158, and AECOM, 14504 Greenview Drive, Suite 400, Laurel, Maryland 20708

Environ. Sci. Technol., 2010, 44 (13), pp 4910–4916

DOI: 10.1021/es100356f

Publication Date (Web): June 4, 2010

* Corresponding author phone: 518-285-5667; fax: 518-285-5600; e-mail: pjphilli@usgs.gov., †

US Geological Survey, Troy, NY.

, ‡

US Geological Survey, Lakewood, CO.

, §

US Geological Survey, Iowa City, IA.

US Geological Survey, W. Trenton, NJ.

AECOM, New York.

, #

AECOM, Laurel, MD.

Section:

Waste Treatment and Disposal

Abstract

Facilities involved in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products are an under-investigated source of pharmaceuticals to the environment. Between 2004 and 2009, 35 to 38 effluent samples were collected from each of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in New York and analyzed for seven pharmaceuticals including opioids and muscle relaxants. Two WWTPs (NY2 and NY3) receive substantial flows (>20% of plant flow) from pharmaceutical formulation facilities (PFF) and one (NY1) receives no PFF flow. Samples of effluents from 23 WWTPs across the United States were analyzed once for these pharmaceuticals as part of a national survey. Maximum pharmaceutical effluent concentrations for the national survey and NY1 effluent samples were generally <1 μg/L. Four pharmaceuticals (methadone, oxycodone, butalbital, and metaxalone) in samples of NY3 effluent had median concentrations ranging from 3.4 to >400 μg/L. Maximum concentrations of oxycodone (1700 μg/L) and metaxalone (3800 μg/L) in samples from NY3 effluent exceeded 1000 μg/L. Three pharmaceuticals (butalbital, carisoprodol, and oxycodone) in samples of NY2 effluent had median concentrations ranging from 2 to 11 μg/L. These findings suggest that current manufacturing practices at these PFFs can result in pharmaceuticals concentrations from 10 to 1000 times higher than those typically found in WWTP effluents.

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