The study deals with the proposal of a new tool called called THEMT (Tool for Hospital Effluent Management and Treatment), able to estimate the potential environmental impact posed by selected PhCs in hospital effluent in terms of their risk quotient (RQ) range. It takes into consideration the characteristics of: (i) the hospital in question (number of beds, wards, water consumption), (ii) its catchment area (inhabitant equivalent, water needs), (iii) the treatment train the hospital effluent is subjected to and the corresponding removal efficiencies of the selected compounds, and (iv) the characteristics of the receiving water body (dilution and hydrodynamic features). As it can simulate different scenarios featuring different catchment area, treatment train and surface receiving body characteristics, THEMT can be used in both the design and verification phases of hospital construction. This makes this tool a valuable aid to informed decision-making regarding the best treatment train for a particular hospital effluent, i.e., one that will reduce the environmental risk in surface water to desired (acceptable) levels.
Environmental Risk Assessment of Pharmaceutical Compounds as a Tool for the Management of Hospital Effluents
AL AUKIDY, Mustafa Kether;VERLICCHI, Paola;ZAMBELLO, Elena
2013
Abstract
The study deals with the proposal of a new tool called called THEMT (Tool for Hospital Effluent Management and Treatment), able to estimate the potential environmental impact posed by selected PhCs in hospital effluent in terms of their risk quotient (RQ) range. It takes into consideration the characteristics of: (i) the hospital in question (number of beds, wards, water consumption), (ii) its catchment area (inhabitant equivalent, water needs), (iii) the treatment train the hospital effluent is subjected to and the corresponding removal efficiencies of the selected compounds, and (iv) the characteristics of the receiving water body (dilution and hydrodynamic features). As it can simulate different scenarios featuring different catchment area, treatment train and surface receiving body characteristics, THEMT can be used in both the design and verification phases of hospital construction. This makes this tool a valuable aid to informed decision-making regarding the best treatment train for a particular hospital effluent, i.e., one that will reduce the environmental risk in surface water to desired (acceptable) levels.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
