TY - JOUR

T1 - AOX-Emissions from Hospitals into Municipal Waste Water

AU - Kümmerer, Klaus

AU - Erbe, T.

AU - Gartiser, Stefan

AU - Brinker, Ludger

PY - 1998/5/1

Y1 - 1998/5/1

N2 - Adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX) are mostly persistent in the environment, and accumulate in the food web. Some of them are toxic to humans and other organisms. AOX were measured in the effluents from six German hospitals of different size and departments like internal medicine and ear-nose and throat (ENT) as well as from laundry, kitchen and laboratory. The concentrations in the day time mixed samples of the total effluent were 0.13 mg l -1-0.94 mg l -1 (∅ = 0.43 mg l -1). For the separately investigated departments the lowest concentrations were found in the effluent from laundry and kitchen (0.015 mg l -1), and the highest ones in the effluents from the medical departments (0.12-1.71 mg l -1, ∅ 0.95 mg l -1 during the week and 0.06-0.10 mg l -1 at the week-end) and the laboratories (0.05-14.2 mg l -1, ∅ 2.73 mg l -1). The AOX concentration in night time mixed samples were 0.07-0.41 mg l -1 (∅ = 0.41 mg l -1) for the total effluents and 0.25-2.64 mg l -1 (∅ = 1.11 mg l -1) for medical departments. Concentrations expected by computing the input of AOX attributable to pharmaceuticals were between 11% and 16% for two hospitals and 7.7% for an ENT department. One additional important source of AOX in hospital effluents may be x-ray contrast media containing a iodine carbon bond.

AB - Adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX) are mostly persistent in the environment, and accumulate in the food web. Some of them are toxic to humans and other organisms. AOX were measured in the effluents from six German hospitals of different size and departments like internal medicine and ear-nose and throat (ENT) as well as from laundry, kitchen and laboratory. The concentrations in the day time mixed samples of the total effluent were 0.13 mg l -1-0.94 mg l -1 (∅ = 0.43 mg l -1). For the separately investigated departments the lowest concentrations were found in the effluent from laundry and kitchen (0.015 mg l -1), and the highest ones in the effluents from the medical departments (0.12-1.71 mg l -1, ∅ 0.95 mg l -1 during the week and 0.06-0.10 mg l -1 at the week-end) and the laboratories (0.05-14.2 mg l -1, ∅ 2.73 mg l -1). The AOX concentration in night time mixed samples were 0.07-0.41 mg l -1 (∅ = 0.41 mg l -1) for the total effluents and 0.25-2.64 mg l -1 (∅ = 1.11 mg l -1) for medical departments. Concentrations expected by computing the input of AOX attributable to pharmaceuticals were between 11% and 16% for two hospitals and 7.7% for an ENT department. One additional important source of AOX in hospital effluents may be x-ray contrast media containing a iodine carbon bond.

KW - AOX

KW - Disinfectant

KW - Hospital effluent

KW - Pharmaceutical waste

KW - X-ray contrast media

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032079253&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/S0045-6535(97)10200-4

DO - 10.1016/S0045-6535(97)10200-4

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 36

SP - 2437

EP - 2445

JO - Chemosphere

JF - Chemosphere

SN - 0045-6535

IS - 11

ER -