Atorvastatin is a medication used to prevent cardiovascular disease. Our Nyex water treatment process is effective in ortho-hydroxy atorvastatin and para-hydroxy Atorvastatin removal from water. We have reduced Atorvastatin down to 0.02 µg/L from municipal wastewater.
Atorvastatin is a widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drug. But like many pharmaceuticals, it is now finding its way into our watercourses and rivers, posing a real threat to the environment.
Its presence in wastewater is concerning due to its potential to disrupt aquatic ecosystems and wildlife.
The pharmaceutical industry’s growth, coupled with increasing consumption of medications, has led to an appreciable rise in the discharge of pharmaceuticals finding their way into wastewater treatment plants. These plants were designed to remove traditional pollutants so are often ill-equipped to handle the complex nature of pharmaceuticals like atorvastatin.
This necessitates the deployment of advanced water treatment technologies to ensure removal of emerging contaminants like statins.
Atorvastatin is a medication used to prevent cardiovascular disease. Our Nyex water treatment process is effective in ortho-hydroxy Atorvastatin and para-hydroxy Atorvastatin removal from water. We have reduced Atorvastatin down to 0.02 µg/L from municipal wastewater.
Atorvastatin is a member of the statin drug class. Its development started in the 1980s by leading pharma company Pfizer.
In 1996, it was approved by the FDA in the U.S. and quickly became a widely prescribed medication for cholesterol management.
It works by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which plays a crucial role in cholesterol synthesis in our bodies. This reduction in cholesterol levels helps prevent the buildup of plaque in arteries, lowering the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular conditions.
In human health, Atorvastatin is primarily prescribed for adults (and children over 10 years old.) It is also used to treat familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic condition characterised by abnormally high cholesterol levels.
While not as common as in human medicine, Atorvastatin has also been used in veterinary medicine to manage hyperlipidaemia in animals, particularly horses.
To patients, Atorvastatin has several benefits:
While generally safe and well-tolerated by most people, Atorvastatin can cause some side effects, including:
The presence of even low concentrations of atorvastatin in watercourses, rivers, and lakes poses a significant threat to aquatic life. It can disrupt the delicate balance of ecosystems and has detrimental effects on both flora and fauna.
Atorvastatin, like many other pharmaceuticals, can act as an endocrine disruptor, interfering with the hormonal systems of aquatic organisms. This can lead to reproductive problems, developmental abnormalities, and altered behaviour.
Studies have shown that atorvastatin can be toxic to fish, amphibians, and other aquatic organisms, even at low concentrations.
Atorvastatin can also accumulate in the tissues of aquatic organisms, leading to higher concentrations in predators further up the food chain. This bioaccumulation can have long-term consequences for the health and survival of these organisms. At the top of the food chain, of course, are humans.
These are some of the methods that can be employed to remove Atorvastatin from wastewater, each with its own advantages and disadvantages:
Adsorption is a widely used technique for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater. It involves using media like activated carbon which has a high surface area and a porous structure, to adsorb the pollutants from the water.
This how the process works:
The advantages of using GAC are:
Disadvantages include:
Ozone (O3) is a powerful oxidant that can effectively degrade atorvastatin in wastewater. The process involves bubbling ozone gas through the water, where it reacts with Atorvastatin molecules, breaking them down into less harmful (or more treatable) compounds.
The process works like this:
The advantages of this system are:
Disadvantages of using ozone include:
Irais Baizabal
Wastewater Treatment Consultant
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