약품을 비롯한 다양한 상품들이 직면하고 있는 문제를 처리하기 위해 수자원을 오염시키기 전에 무해한 화합물로 분해되는 약을 만드는 방법이 최근 개발됐다.

살충제, 샴푸, 로션, 화장품, 소독약 및 각종 약품들로부터 발생하는 많은 활성성분은 하수도나 강·하천으로 흘러 들어가 최종적으로 수도꼭지로 나온다. 연구진은 이러한 결정체가 야생동물이나 인간의 건강에 어떠한 영향을 주는지에 대해서는 아직 명확히 밝혀내지 못했으나 이러한 영향에 대해 매우 주의하고 있다.

 

 

 

To address the ongoing problem of various products, including pharmaceuticals, ending up in drinking water, researchers have recently developed a way to create drugs that break down into harmless compounds before they contaminate water resources.

 

A wide range of active ingredients originating from pesticides, shampoos, lotions, cosmetics, disinfectants, and drugs get washed into sewage systems or rivers and streams, ending up in tap water. Scientists are still unclear of what effects these substances have on wildlife and human health, but they are a major concern. Researchers have detected them in low levels in streams and rivers across the U.S. and other countries.

 

To address the specific problem of medications in the environment, Klaus Kummere, professor of Sustainable Chemistry and Material Resources at the Leuphana University of Luneburg in Germany, and colleagues made tweaks to pharmaceuticals so they degrade after they've passed through both the body and sewage treatment systems, which aren't capable of scrubbing wastewater of all contaminants.

 

The researchers chose to work with a commonly used drug called propranolol -- a beta blocker prescribed to treat high blood pressure and to prevent heart problems. It is very stable and has been found in sewage.

 

They made a small molecular change in its structure that didn't affect its beta-blocking activity but allowed it to break down more easily than the original form. Further studies are needed, but initial testing showed that the altered drug and its byproducts are likely not toxic. The researchers suggest that a similar approach could be used to redesign other classes of drugs and chemicals to make them more environmentally friendly, as well.

 

[출처 = Water World / 2015년 9월 9일]