TY - JOUR

T1 - Biological Degradation of Cyclophosphamide and its Occurrence in Sewage Water

AU - Steger-Hartmann, Thomas

AU - Kümmerer, Klaus

AU - Hartmann, A.

PY - 1997/3/1

Y1 - 1997/3/1

N2 - The mutagenic and cancerogenic antineoplastic agent cyclophosphamide (CP) is released into sewage water by cancer patient excretion. To assess the biological degradability of CP two standardized test systems, the Zahn- Wellens/EMPA test (OECD 302B) and a laboratory scale sewage treatment plant, were used. In both test systems the agent exhibited only poor degradability. To verify the expected occurrence of CP in hospital sewage, water samples were analyzed for CP with GC/MS after enrichment by solid-phase extraction. CP could be detected in concentrations ranging from 20 ng/L to 4.5 μg/L. The occurrence of the agent could also be proved in samples from the influent and the effluent of the communal sewage treatment plant into which the hospital's sewage water is shed. Concentrations ranged from 7 to 143 ng/L. In an attempt to assess the contribution of CP to the genotoxicity detected in hospital waste water in a recent study, the effects of CP in the umuC test, a bacterial genotoxicity assay, were investigated. However, no genotoxic effects of CP were found up to concentrations of 1 g/L.

AB - The mutagenic and cancerogenic antineoplastic agent cyclophosphamide (CP) is released into sewage water by cancer patient excretion. To assess the biological degradability of CP two standardized test systems, the Zahn- Wellens/EMPA test (OECD 302B) and a laboratory scale sewage treatment plant, were used. In both test systems the agent exhibited only poor degradability. To verify the expected occurrence of CP in hospital sewage, water samples were analyzed for CP with GC/MS after enrichment by solid-phase extraction. CP could be detected in concentrations ranging from 20 ng/L to 4.5 μg/L. The occurrence of the agent could also be proved in samples from the influent and the effluent of the communal sewage treatment plant into which the hospital's sewage water is shed. Concentrations ranged from 7 to 143 ng/L. In an attempt to assess the contribution of CP to the genotoxicity detected in hospital waste water in a recent study, the effects of CP in the umuC test, a bacterial genotoxicity assay, were investigated. However, no genotoxic effects of CP were found up to concentrations of 1 g/L.

KW - antineoplastic

KW - Antineoplastic Agents

KW - ASSAY

KW - BACTERIAL

KW - Biological

KW - BLADDER

KW - CANCER

KW - CARCINOGENS

KW - CHEMICALS

KW - communal sewage

KW - concentration

KW - CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE

KW - DEGRADABILITY

KW - Degradation

KW - DRUGS

KW - effect

KW - effects

KW - effluent

KW - EXCRETION

KW - EXTRACTION

KW - GC

KW - MS

KW - genotoxicity

KW - hospital

KW - hospital sewage

KW - mutagens

KW - occurrence

KW - OECD

KW - PATIENT

KW - PLANT

KW - SAMPLES

KW - sewage

KW - sewage treatment

KW - sewage treatment plant

KW - SEWAGE WATER

KW - SEWAGE-TREATMENT

KW - solid phase extraction

KW - SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION

KW - SYSTEM

KW - SYSTEMS

KW - Test

KW - treatment

KW - TREATMENT-PLANT

KW - umuC

KW - waste water

KW - WASTE-WATER

KW - WATER

KW - WATER SAMPLES

KW - Chemistry

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031105636&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1006/eesa.1996.1506

DO - 10.1006/eesa.1996.1506

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 36

SP - 174

EP - 179

JO - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

JF - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

SN - 0147-6513

IS - 2

ER -