The fate of opioids in wastewater treatment plants in Australia /
Files
(Published version)
Date
2025
Authors
Simpson, Jamie
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
thesis
Citation
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
Abstract
The continued prescription and consumption of pharmaceuticals has resulted in new compounds of concern being found in aqueous and terrestrial environments, impacting organisms vital to the natural function of an ecosystem. This Thesis addresses the uncertainty surrounding how wastewater treatment plants contribute opioids to the environment as contaminants. Meaningful outcomes include the development of a method to extract opioids from biosolids, identifying potentially hazardous levels of drugs in biosolids used as fertiliser. Additionally, the importance of chlorination treatment to reduce opioid levels in effluent was identified. This led to further research into two key synthetic opioids, which were susceptible to immediate formation of hundreds of compounds with toxicity equal to that of the parent opioid when treated with industry standard concentrations of chlorine.
School/Discipline
University of South Australia. UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences.
UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences
UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences
Dissertation Note
Thesis (PhD(Public Health B))--University of South Australia, 2025.
Provenance
Copyright 2025 Jamie Simpson.
Description
1 ethesis (xiv, 199 pages) :
colour illustrations, colour charts.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 162-190)
colour illustrations, colour charts.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 162-190)
Access Status
506 0#$fstar $2Unrestricted online access