Examples of exposure assessment simulation for pharmaceuticals in river basins with the GREAT-ER 1.0 system

The GREAT-ER (Geo-referenced Regional Exposure Assessment Tool for European Rivers) system was developed and validated by ECETOC (European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals), as an accurate aquatic chemical exposure prediction tool for use within environmental risk assessment schemes. The GREAT-ER 1.0 software calculates the distribution of predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of consumer chemicals in surface waters, for individual river stretches as well as for entire catchments. The system uses an ARC/INFO ArcView ( ESRI) based Geographical Information System (GIS) for data storage and visualization, combined with simple mathematical models for prediction of chemical fate. Prediction of environmental PECs of pharmaceuticals used in the household with GREAT-ER 1.0 is illustrated for Ethinyl Oestradiol, Paracetamol, Aspirin, Dextropropoxyphene, Clofibrate and Oxytetracycline in the Aire river basin (UK). In comparison with other household chemicals the eventual transformation of pharmaceuticals in the human body needs to be incorporated in the emission estimation. The PECinitial of these pharmaceuticals in surface waters ranges from >1 μg/l (Oxytetracycline & Paracetamol) down to 0.14 ng/l (Ethinyl Oestradiol).