The read-across hypothesis and environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals

This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. Copyright © 2013 American Chemical Society.Pharmaceuticals in the environment have received increased attention over the past decade, as they are ubiquitous in rivers and waterways. Concentrations are in sub-ng to low μg/L, well below acute toxic levels, but there are uncertainties regarding the effects of chronic exposures and there is a need to prioritise which pharmaceuticals may be of concern. The read-across hypothesis stipulates that a drug will have an effect in non-target organisms only if the molecular targets such as receptors and enzymes have been conserved, resulting in a (specific) pharmacological effect only if plasma concentrations are similar to human therapeutic concentrations. If this holds true for different classes of pharmaceuticals, it should be possible to predict the potential environmental impact from information obtained during the drug development process. This paper critically reviews the evidence for read-across, and finds that few studies include plasma concentrations and mode of action based effects. Thus, despite a large number of apparently relevant papers and a general acceptance of the hypothesis, there is an absence of documented evidence. There is a need for large-scale studies to generate robust data for testing the read-across hypothesis and developing predictive models, the only feasible approach to protecting the environment.BBSRC Industrial Partnership Award BB/ I00646X/1 and BBSRC Industrial CASE Partnership Studentship BB/I53257X/1 with AstraZeneca Safety Health and Environment Research Programme

250 jaar Copijn in het groen : tentoonstelling 4 april 2014 t/m 1 augustus 2014

Twee en een halve eeuw al zijn de leden van de familie Copijn werkzaam in het groen. Een onafgebroken traditie die begon toen Hendrik Copijn zich in 1763 in Groenekan vestigde. Nog steeds is hier Copijn Groenekan boomkwekerij en tuinarchitectuur gevestigd, alsmede ontwerp- en adviesbureau Copijn Bruine Beuk en een paar kilometer ten zuidwesten van Groenekan aan de Gageldijk bevindt zich het bedrijf Copijn Tuin- en Landschapsarchitecten / Boomspecialisten / Groenaanleg en beheer. Deze tentoonstelling is gebaseerd op het boek ‘Met levend materiaal’ : Copijn 1763-2013 tweehonderdvijftig jaar tuinlieden, boomkwekers, boomverzorgers en tuin- en landschapsarchitecte