Prednisolone

Summary

For this summary information, the information on bioaccumulation comes from previous environmental information on the fass.se. Environmental information can be found on fass.se that data are missing for prednisolone from Pfizer (2021-04-20). The risk comes from the report from Goodpoint.

Persistence. It cannot be excluded that prednisolone is persistent, due to the lack of data.
Bioaccumulation. Prednisolone has low potential for bioaccumulation.
Toxicity. It cannot be excluded that prednisolone is toxic, due to the lack of data.
Risk. Although both exposure and efficacy data are incomplete for hydrocortisone and prednisolone, there are no strong indications of environmental risk for these two substances. On the contrary, the fish plasma model and reported levels in the environment indicate low risk.

Detailed information

Fass environmental information for Precortalon aquosum (prednisolone) from MSD (downloaded 2013-07-02)

Hazard

Persistence: No data.

Bioaccumulation: "Log K_ow = 1.62 (QSAR estimate). BCF = 3.5 (QSAR estimate)."

Toxicity: No data.

Risk

Sales data in Sweden are available for 2011. "PEC/PNEC could not be calculated due to lack of ecotoxicity data which justifies the phrase "Risk of environmental impact of prednisolone cannot be excluded, since no ecotoxicity data are available.”

Fass environmental information for Prednisolon Pfizer (prednisolone) from Pfizer (downloaded 2021-04-20)

Hazard

Persistence: No data. 

Bioaccumulation: No data. 

Toxicity: No data.

Risk

Risk of environmental impact of prednisolone cannot be excluded, due to the lack of environmental toxicity data.

Pharmaceutial residues in the aquatic environment

Report Pharmaceutial residues in the Stockholm aquatic environment. Prednisolone has been measured in treated wastewater at concentrations up to 50 ng/L.

Report Goodpoint 2020

Comparative assessment of environmental risk when using the corticosteroids betamethasone, budesonide, hydrocortisone and prednisolone from a Swedish perspective.

The use of both betamethasone and budesonide poses an environmental risk, and exchange with synthetic glucocorticoids with a lower environmental risk is to be advocated in cases where it is possible from a clinical perspective. Hydrocortisone and prednisolone have a lower environmental risk but are rarely medically interchangeable alternatives to betamethasone and budesonide. Note that corresponding environmental risk assessments have not been made for other synthetic glucocorticoids that are available on the Swedish market, and which could possibly constitute exchange alternatives. No actions are recommended with regard to replacement of hydrocortisone and prednisolone as their use poses a low environmental risk given the current state of knowledge.