Environmental risk assessment of the pharmaceutical diclofenac in marine ambience

Abstract

Emerging organic pollutants refer to any chemical compound present in drugs, pesticides, veterinary products, personal care products and pharmaceuticals. Many of these compounds are highly bioactive, most of them are polar and several studies have been detected these compounds in environmental matrices at concentrations ranging from pg.L-1 to ng.L-1. Regarding drugs, we highlight the diclofenac, widely used as human analgesic and anti-rheumatic action, belonging to the class of Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). Residues of diclofenac have been detected in surface waters from the entire world, but studies on the biological effects and environmental risks of this compound are still scarce. This study aims to assess the environmental risks of diclofenac in the marine environment according to a tiered methodology called Tier. Initially the identification and quantification of diclofenac in surface water samples and background surrounding the Marine Outfall of Santos will be held. Subsequently, ecotoxicological analyses with different stages of life and levels of biological organization will be employed including enzymatic biomarkers, using as test organisms the bivalve mollusc Perna perna, to detect signs of biological effects from exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of diclofenac. This proposal is innovative by the novelty of the development and implementation of a tiered methodology to environmental risk assessment of diclofenac in coastal waters, with adaptations that consider the possibility to detect the mechanism of toxic action of this compound, prime factor for risk assessment of substances bioactive. (AU)