Researchers from the University of Seoul have found that there is a large amount of Viagra (sildenafil) and other drugs used for the treatment of impotence in sewage water in the Gangnam area, which is home to nightclubs, bars, and red-light businesses.
They said the concentration of the drugs is so high that sewage treatment plants may fail to adequately filter them out.
Sildenafil is a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i), which is often recommended for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED).
The researchers, who published their findings earlier this month in the journal Scientific Reports, said, “We estimated that the amount of PDE5i consumption in [Gangnam] was 31% higher than in areas with fewer nightlife spots.”
They investigated the presence of the drugs in two sewage treatment plants in the South Korean capital and the receiving water bodies.
Lead author of the study Dr. Kim Hyunook said there were greater levels of the drugs and the plants were unable to filter them out.
“We detected chemical compounds in the wastewater that were unthinkable in the past,” he added. “These can’t be properly treated by the existing sewage treatment facilities. We have no idea how these chemicals may pollute the environment.”
Dr. Hyunook said these findings suggest that nightclubs and bars have been selling drugs illegally to their customers.
“If that was the case,” he explained, “I thought a lot of counterfeit drugs must be in circulation and chemicals from these drugs should be detected in wastewater. That’s how we started this research.”
“The point is that existing sewage facilities are not suitable to filter out drugs consumed by humans and an astonishingly large amount of Viagra was detected in wastewater,” Dr. Hyunook said.
One of Dr. Hyunook’s assistants said, “The takeaway from this study is that we have to step up the monitoring and treatment of sewage for these drugs.” The article was published in the South China Morning Post.
