Presence of pharmaceutical products in water and its impact on the environment

Abstract

Pharmaceutical products (PPs) are an important group of emerging pollutants (EP), due to their potential to induce adverse physiological effects at low concentrations in humans and animals. Many studies around the world have reported the presence about these compounds in different aquatic ecosystems, raising concerns about the potential negative effects that occur on water, human health, and wildlife. In this context, this article aims to present a review on a global level of the most relevant aspects for the presence of PPs in water, since 2010 to 2019. The increased number of studies report the presence at emerging contaminants including PPs of different types in surface water, groundwater, wastewater and drinking water. The main sources of PPs entry into aquatic systems are due to discharges of wastewater that collect domestic water, hospital effluents and effluents from untreated or inadequately treated factories before being released into rivers and seas. The presence of PPs in the aquatic environment concerns about their persistence, bioaccumulation, toxicity and the generation of antibiotic resistance from many microorganisms, among other consequences not yet studied in the environment.