Body burden and health risk of pharmaceuticals in elderly population: A multi-site biomonitoring study in China
Evidence suggests that pharmaceuticals (PhACs) are widespread in the environment and may pose a threat to human health. However, limited health risk assessments are available for PhAC exposure in large and multi-site populations, especially among vulnerable populations. To address this gap, we condu...
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325008085 |
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| author | Fangting Hu Yi Liu Xiaoting Liu Sheng Wang Liang Ruan Xuechun Liu Qi Zhong Xinsheng Qin Panzhu Qin Hanyu Xuan Fangbiao Tao Kaiyong Liu |
| author_facet | Fangting Hu Yi Liu Xiaoting Liu Sheng Wang Liang Ruan Xuechun Liu Qi Zhong Xinsheng Qin Panzhu Qin Hanyu Xuan Fangbiao Tao Kaiyong Liu |
| author_sort | Fangting Hu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Evidence suggests that pharmaceuticals (PhACs) are widespread in the environment and may pose a threat to human health. However, limited health risk assessments are available for PhAC exposure in large and multi-site populations, especially among vulnerable populations. To address this gap, we conducted biomonitoring of 46 representative PhACs in urine samples from 3096 older adults. PhAC concentrations, adjusted for urine specific gravity, were used to calculate the estimated daily intake (EDI) and assess associated health risks. All individuals had at least one PhAC detected in their urine, with the detection rates of sulfameter, acetaminophen, metformin, and sulfamonomethoxine exceeding 70 %. Median PhAC concentrations ranged from below the limit of detection to 29.79 ng/mL. The EDI values were generally low, with the exception of those of nine PhACs, whose EDI values exceeded 1000 µg/kg/day at the 99th percentile. Total antibiotic exposure posed a health risk in 13.9 % of all individuals. Amoxicillin, florfenicol, and ciprofloxacin were major contributors to the potential health risk of gut microbiota disruption. Among the non-antibiotic PhACs, acetaminophen, amantadine, and metformin posed potential health risks to 2.2 %, 1.9 %, and 0.9 % of all individuals, respectively. Overall, this study sheds light on PhAC exposure in older adults across different regions and provides valuable insights that can help with safeguarding their health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4afefa37cfea408393cc7cacb411f211 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0147-6513 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj-art-4afefa37cfea408393cc7cacb411f2112025-08-20T03:20:04ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132025-07-0130011846810.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118468Body burden and health risk of pharmaceuticals in elderly population: A multi-site biomonitoring study in ChinaFangting Hu0Yi Liu1Xiaoting Liu2Sheng Wang3Liang Ruan4Xuechun Liu5Qi Zhong6Xinsheng Qin7Panzhu Qin8Hanyu Xuan9Fangbiao Tao10Kaiyong Liu11School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University/Center for Big Data and Population Health, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (Anhui Medical University)，Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health Across the Life Course/Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Anhui Medical University/Center for Big Data and Population Health, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Anhui Medical University/Center for Big Data and Population Health, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, ChinaCenter for Scientific Research, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Anhui Medical University/Center for Big Data and Population Health, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, ChinaHefei Hospital affiliated to Anhui Medical University (Hefei Second People’s Hospital), Hefei, Anhui 230011, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Anhui Medical University/Center for Big Data and Population Health, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Anhui Medical University/Center for Big Data and Population Health, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Anhui Medical University/Center for Big Data and Population Health, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, ChinaSchool of Big Data and Statistics, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Anhui Medical University/Center for Big Data and Population Health, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (Anhui Medical University)，Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health Across the Life Course/Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Anhui Medical University/Center for Big Data and Population Health, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (Anhui Medical University)，Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health Across the Life Course/Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China; Correspondence to: School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.Evidence suggests that pharmaceuticals (PhACs) are widespread in the environment and may pose a threat to human health. However, limited health risk assessments are available for PhAC exposure in large and multi-site populations, especially among vulnerable populations. To address this gap, we conducted biomonitoring of 46 representative PhACs in urine samples from 3096 older adults. PhAC concentrations, adjusted for urine specific gravity, were used to calculate the estimated daily intake (EDI) and assess associated health risks. All individuals had at least one PhAC detected in their urine, with the detection rates of sulfameter, acetaminophen, metformin, and sulfamonomethoxine exceeding 70 %. Median PhAC concentrations ranged from below the limit of detection to 29.79 ng/mL. The EDI values were generally low, with the exception of those of nine PhACs, whose EDI values exceeded 1000 µg/kg/day at the 99th percentile. Total antibiotic exposure posed a health risk in 13.9 % of all individuals. Amoxicillin, florfenicol, and ciprofloxacin were major contributors to the potential health risk of gut microbiota disruption. Among the non-antibiotic PhACs, acetaminophen, amantadine, and metformin posed potential health risks to 2.2 %, 1.9 %, and 0.9 % of all individuals, respectively. Overall, this study sheds light on PhAC exposure in older adults across different regions and provides valuable insights that can help with safeguarding their health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325008085PharmaceuticalsElderlyHuman biomonitoringHealth risk assessment |
| spellingShingle | Fangting Hu Yi Liu Xiaoting Liu Sheng Wang Liang Ruan Xuechun Liu Qi Zhong Xinsheng Qin Panzhu Qin Hanyu Xuan Fangbiao Tao Kaiyong Liu Body burden and health risk of pharmaceuticals in elderly population: A multi-site biomonitoring study in China Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Pharmaceuticals Elderly Human biomonitoring Health risk assessment |
| title | Body burden and health risk of pharmaceuticals in elderly population: A multi-site biomonitoring study in China |
| title_full | Body burden and health risk of pharmaceuticals in elderly population: A multi-site biomonitoring study in China |
| title_fullStr | Body burden and health risk of pharmaceuticals in elderly population: A multi-site biomonitoring study in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Body burden and health risk of pharmaceuticals in elderly population: A multi-site biomonitoring study in China |
| title_short | Body burden and health risk of pharmaceuticals in elderly population: A multi-site biomonitoring study in China |
| title_sort | body burden and health risk of pharmaceuticals in elderly population a multi site biomonitoring study in china |
| topic | Pharmaceuticals Elderly Human biomonitoring Health risk assessment |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325008085 |
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