Abstract:
Pharmaceuticals are crucial for human health, but their release into the environment
through various means can contaminate groundwater, surface waters, soil, and
microorganisms. The contamination of water by pharmaceuticals in Kazakhstan is not
well-studied. Understanding the influence of pharmaceutical ingredients on the
ecosystem and public health is a key area of ecological research. Globally, researchers
are investigating the risks posed by pharmaceuticals in water sources and their
environmental effects. This study uses Chlorella sp. to test the impacts of
pharmaceuticals on aquatic biota, examining growth rate and growth inhibition. The
study followed OECD Research Method 201. Pharmaceuticals with high pollution
potential in Kazakhstan's water resources, including ketoconazole, terbinafine,
drotaverine hydrochloride, telmisartan, benzylpenicillin, and azithromycin, were studied.
Azithromycin was found to be the most toxic to Chlorella sp. (0.33 ± 0.05 mg/L), while
amoxicillin had the least toxic effect (853.54 ±0.27mg/L). Azithromycin has significant
effect to Chlorella sp. resistance, especially in smallest experimental concentrations. At
0.2 mg/L, azithromycin nearly halved the growth rate compared to the control, growth
inhibition was over 87% at 0.15 mg/L (r2=0.89). Chlorella sp.showed minimal sensitivity
to high concentrations of amoxicillin, with slight decrease of growth (2% at 1 mg/L, 57%
at 1000 mg/L).