Metformin chlorination byproducts in drinking water exhibit marked toxicities of a potential health concern

Autor: Runshuai Zhang, Yuanzhen He, Luxia Yao, Jie Chen, Shihao Zhu, Xinxin Rao, Peiyuan Tang, Jia You, Guoqiang Hua, Lu Zhang, Feng Ju, Lianfeng Wu
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Environment International, Vol 146, Iss , Pp 106244- (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 0160-4120
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106244
Popis: Metformin (MET), a worldwide used drug for type 2 diabetes, has been found with the largest amount by weight among all drugs in aquatic environment, including the drinking water systems where this emerging micropollutant is inevitably transformed during chlorination process. Whether MET chlorination byproducts Y (C4H6ClN5) and C (C4H6ClN3) exist in drinking water remains unknown. Although MET has health-promoting properties, whether or how its chlorination byproducts affect health is still uncharacterized. Here we reveal that MET and byproduct C are present in worldwide drinking water with the highest doses detected for MET and C as 1203.5 ng/L and 9.7 ng/L respectively. Under simulated chlorination conditions, we also demonstrate that both byproducts can be increasingly produced with increment of MET concentration, suggesting a hidden threat on the safety and sustainability of global water supply. Through systematic evaluations, we demonstrate that MET chlorination byproducts Y and C exhibit toxicities instead of genotoxicity to live worms and human HepG2 cells at millimolar doses. Moreover, both byproducts are harmful to mice and particularly Y at 250 ng/L destroys the mouse small intestine integrity. Unprecedentedly, we unveil boiling and activated carbon adsorption as effective alternative solutions that may be in urgent demand globally for removing these byproducts from drinking water.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals