Occurrence, effects, and methods for antibiotics and illicit drugs in the environment

Abstract

From around the globe, a variety of emerging contaminants (ECs), specifically pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs, have been identified in multiple environmental compartments (i.e., soils, plants, fish, surface waters, source waters, drinking water, and influents and effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs)). Several insightful reviews covering general topic knowledge, analytical methods, and reports of occurrence of these ECs have been published (Jones-Lepp et al. 2009; Kümmerer 2009a, 2009b, 2010; Martinez 2009; Turkdogan and Yetilmezsoy 2009; Deblonde et al. 2011; Pal et al. 2013; Richardson 2012).