Estimating the Mass of Pharmaceuticals Harbored in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills by Analyzing Refuse Samples at Various Ages and Depths.

Pharmaceuticals have been detected at high concentrations in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachates, which are recognized as an underestimated source of pharmaceutical residues in the environment. However, limited efforts have been made to characterize pharmaceuticals in MSW landfill refuse, which is also of significant concern given the potential long-term environmental impact. Herein, we excavated landfill refuse from six cells with landfill ages of 7-27 years in the largest MSW landfill in Shanghai (in each cell, landfill refuse was collected from different depths of 2-8 m) and analyzed samples for the presence of 55 pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics and non-antibiotics. The results reveal the presence of 42 pharmaceuticals in landfill refuse, with median concentrations ranging from 0.30 to 116 μg/kg. Antibiotic and non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals exhibited diverse concentration trends with age, related to changes in policy intervention and consumption over time. Different concentration variations of individual pharmaceuticals were observed in refuse samples excavated at different depths and positively correlated to their sorption ability. The mass of pharmaceuticals in the investigated landfill was estimated from the obtained concentrations to be 80-220 tons with 95% probability, based on Monte Carlo analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first estimate of pharmaceutical mass in an MSW landfill. The results will be helpful for understanding the potential long-term environmental impact of pharmaceuticals in landfills.

[1]  Wei Wei,et al.  Recent advances in waste-derived functional materials for wastewater remediation , 2022, Eco-Environment & Health.

[2]  Xiangru Zhang,et al.  Which Micropollutants in Water Environments Deserve More Attention Globally? , 2021, Environmental science & technology.

[3]  Jizhong Zhou,et al.  Antibiotic resistance genes in manure-amended paddy soils across eastern China: Occurrence and influencing factors , 2021, Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering.

[4]  G. Ying,et al.  Anthropogenic activities and seasonal properties jointly drive the assemblage of bacterial communities in subtropical river basins. , 2021, Science of the Total Environment.

[5]  D. Hawker,et al.  Postflood Monitoring in a Subtropical Estuary and Benchmarking with PFASs Allows Measurement of Chemical Persistence on the Scale of Months. , 2021, Environmental science & technology.

[6]  Lei Wang,et al.  Comparison of Detection Methods of Microplastics in Landfill Mineralized Refuse and Selection of Degradation Degree Indexes. , 2021, Environmental science & technology.

[7]  P. Yin,et al.  Mortality and years of life lost of cardiovascular diseases in China, 2005-2020: Empirical evidence from national mortality surveillance system. , 2021, International journal of cardiology.

[8]  Yiwen Yuan,et al.  A systematic review on antibiotics misuse in livestock and aquaculture and regulation implications in China. , 2021, The Science of the total environment.

[9]  L. Yao,et al.  Antibiotic resistance genes are enriched with prolonged age of refuse in small and medium-sized landfill systems. , 2021, Environmental research.

[10]  D. Barceló,et al.  Rainfall Influences Occurrence of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products in Landfill Leachates: Evidence from Seasonal Variations and Extreme Rainfall Episodes. , 2021, Environmental science & technology.

[11]  X. Dai,et al.  Revisiting Microplastics in Landfill Leachate: Unnoticed Tiny Microplastics and Their Fate in Treatment Works. , 2020, Water research.

[12]  Nicholas A. Morris,et al.  Risk factors for hypoglycemia with the use of enteral glyburide in Neurocritical Care Patients. , 2020, World neurosurgery.

[13]  H. Eun,et al.  Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Air Particles of Asia: Levels, Seasonality, and Size-Dependent Distribution. , 2020, Environmental science & technology.

[14]  Qingwei Bu,et al.  Is Disposal of Unused Pharmaceuticals as Municipal Solid Waste by Landfilling a Good Option? A Case Study in China , 2020, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology.

[15]  D. Fatta-Kassinos,et al.  Identification of indicator PPCPs in landfill leachates and livestock wastewaters using multi-residue analysis of 70 PPCPs: Analytical method development and application in Yangtze River Delta, China. , 2020, The Science of the total environment.

[16]  D. Barceló,et al.  Municipal solid waste landfills: An underestimated source of PPCPs in the water environment. , 2020, Environmental science & technology.

[17]  Gang Yu,et al.  Characteristics of pharmaceutically active compounds in surface water in Beijing, China: Occurrence, spatial distribution and biennial variation from 2013 to 2017. , 2020, Environmental pollution.

[18]  Yonghong Xiao,et al.  Change in Antibiotic Use in Secondary and Tertiary Hospitals Nationwide After a National Antimicrobial Stewardship Campaign Was Launched in China, 2011-2016: An Observational Study. , 2020, The Journal of infectious diseases.

[19]  Laura J. Carter,et al.  Evaluation and development of models for estimating the sorption behaviour of pharmaceuticals in soils. , 2020, Journal of hazardous materials.

[20]  Hua-jun Feng,et al.  Prevalence of fluoroquinolone, macrolide and sulfonamide-related resistance genes in landfills from East China, mainly driven by MGEs. , 2019, Ecotoxicology and environmental safety.

[21]  Gang Yu,et al.  Do high levels of PPCPs in landfill leachates influence the water environment in the vicinity of landfills? A case study of the largest landfill in China. , 2019, Environment international.

[22]  T. Ternes,et al.  Spatial distribution and temporal trends of pharmaceuticals sorbed to suspended particulate matter of German rivers. , 2019, Water research.

[23]  B. Xie,et al.  Distribution of antibiotics, metals and antibiotic resistance genes during landfilling process in major municipal solid waste landfills. , 2019, Environmental pollution.

[24]  S. Hampton,et al.  An evidence synthesis of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment: imbalances among compounds, sewage treatment techniques, and ecosystem types. , 2019, Environmental science & technology.

[25]  X. Lv,et al.  Crisis of Antimicrobial Resistance in China: Now and the Future , 2019, Front. Microbiol..

[26]  A. Alder,et al.  Occurrence and enantiomer profiles of β-blockers in wastewater and a receiving water body and adjacent soil in Tianjin, China. , 2019, The Science of the total environment.

[27]  Xihong Sun,et al.  Consumption of antibiotics in Chinese public general tertiary hospitals (2011-2014): Trends, pattern changes and regional differences , 2018, PloS one.

[28]  M. Reinhard,et al.  Occurrence and fate of emerging contaminants in municipal wastewater treatment plants from different geographical regions-a review. , 2017, Water research.

[29]  D. Graham,et al.  Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Associated Microbial Community Conditions in Aging Landfill Systems. , 2017, Environmental science & technology.

[30]  S. Stolte,et al.  Primary degradation of antidiabetic drugs. , 2017, Journal of hazardous materials.

[31]  Jun Huang,et al.  Pay attention to non-wastewater emission pathways of pharmaceuticals into environments. , 2016, Chemosphere.

[32]  Satinder Kaur Brar,et al.  Diclofenac and its transformation products: Environmental occurrence and toxicity - A review. , 2016, Environment international.

[33]  Z. Lou,et al.  Distribution pattern and the risks of OPCs, PHAs and PCBs in aged refuses from landfill. , 2016, Waste management.

[34]  O. Dyar,et al.  Trends and patterns of antibiotic consumption in Shanghai municipality, China: a 6 year surveillance with sales records, 2009-14. , 2016, The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy.

[35]  Youcai Zhao,et al.  Sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and oxytetracycline and related antibiotic resistance genes in a large-scale landfill, China. , 2016, The Science of the total environment.

[36]  Q. Zhao,et al.  Antibiotics in Drinking Water in Shanghai and Their Contribution to Antibiotic Exposure of School Children. , 2016, Environmental science & technology.

[37]  Gang Yu,et al.  Occurrence, sources and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the groundwater: A review , 2015 .

[38]  Zhao Youcai,et al.  Martial recycling from renewable landfill and associated risks: A review. , 2015, Chemosphere.

[39]  Cheng Wu,et al.  Influence of antimicrobial consumption on gram-negative bacteria in inpatients receiving antimicrobial resistance therapy from 2008-2013 at a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China. , 2015, American journal of infection control.

[40]  D. Graham,et al.  Relationships between antibiotics and antibiotic resistance gene levels in municipal solid waste leachates in Shanghai, China. , 2015, Environmental science & technology.

[41]  Zhaoxin Lu,et al.  Significant Reduction of Antibiotic Consumption and Patients’ Costs after an Action Plan in China, 2010–2014 , 2015, PloS one.

[42]  Gang Yu,et al.  Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the aquatic environment in China: a review. , 2013, Journal of hazardous materials.

[43]  Jiangyong Hu,et al.  Simultaneous determination of PPCPs, EDCs, and artificial sweeteners in environmental water samples using a single-step SPE coupled with HPLC-MS/MS and isotope dilution. , 2013, Talanta.

[44]  V. Cunningham,et al.  Landfill disposal of unused medicines reduces surface water releases , 2013, Integrated environmental assessment and management.

[45]  Sang-Hyun Kim,et al.  Proteome profiling of tolbutamide‐treated rat primary hepatocytes using nano LC‐MS/MS and label‐free protein quantitation , 2012, Electrophoresis.

[46]  D. Lapworth,et al.  Emerging organic contaminants in groundwater: A review of sources, fate and occurrence. , 2012, Environmental pollution.

[47]  N. King,et al.  Developmental defects of enamel: a study of 12-year-olds in Hong Kong. , 1986, Journal of the American Dental Association.

[48]  W. Mrozik,et al.  Adsorption and biodegradation of antidiabetic pharmaceuticals in soils. , 2014, Chemosphere.