Resumen

PAZ, Marta et al. Genotoxicity and assessment of toxic compounds in a hospital liquid residual from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Rev. Int. Contam. Ambient [online]. 2008, vol.24, n.2, pp.79-87. ISSN 0188-4999.

ABSTRACT Raw wastewaters from health centers transport a great variety of chemical compounds like medical drugs, disinfectants, detergent, laboratory reagents, etc. The complex and fluctuant chemical composition of these effluents opens the possibility of an environmental toxicity scenario. Even considering that these wastewaters are diluted after their discharge towards the municipal sewer system, certain substances present in the effluents can generate by cumulative effect a biological imbalance in aquatic ecosystems. In Buenos Aires city, the urban sewer waters are delivered into the Río de la Plata with no previous depuration treatment, being the latter the main source of drinking water for the city. The objective of this work is to analyze the toxicity and genotoxicity in wastewater samples of San Martin Hospital, an important medical center that daily releases 565 m³ of wastewaters to the sewer system. The evaluation of the genotoxic potential of hospital effluents was performed with different biological systems: the Ames test, the Saccharomyces cereviciae D7 test and the Rec (+/-) assay with Bacillus subtilis. Samples of raw wastewater and the correspondent XAD4 extract were submitted to biological test. No mutagenic effect, either with the Ames test or the Rec (+/-), was detected. Only those samples taken on Friday induced gene conversion in Saccharomyces cereviciae D7. Simultaneously, the chemical toxicity profile of the samples was studied. Cadmium, chromium, mercury and organic halogenated compounds concentrations were in all cases below the toxicity limits established for effluents release to the sewer system. The results obtained confirm the existence of unidentified hazardous substances in hospital wastewater. The determination of toxicants or toxic substances concentration in the samples, in addition to a test battery for genotoxicity detection studies, provide more meaningful information to decision-makers in the estimation of environmental risk of hospital wastewaters.

Palabras llave : toxicity; genotoxicity; hospital wastewaters.