Fate, Transformation, and Toxicological Impacts of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products in Surface Waters

Abstract

With the growth of the human population, a greater quantity of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) have been released into the environment. Although research has addressed the levels and the impact of PPCPs in the environment, the fate of these compounds in surface waters is neither well known nor characterized. In the environment, PPCPs can undergo various transformations that are critically dependent on environmental factors such as solar radiation and the presence of soil particles. Given that the degradation products of PPCPs are poorly characterized, these “secondary residues” can be a significant environmental health hazard due to their drastically different toxicologic effects when compared with the parent compounds. To better understand the fate of PPCPs, we studied the degradation of selected PPCPs, including ibuprofen and clofibric acid, in aqueous solutions that contained kaolinite clay and were irradiated with a solar simulator. The most abundant degradation products were identified and assessed for their toxicologic impact on selected microorganisms. The degraded mixtures showed lower toxicity than the starting compounds; however, as these degradation products are capable of further transformation and interaction with other PPCPs in natural waters, our work highlights the importance of additionally characterizing the PPCP degradation products.

Bacterial ecotoxicity and shifts in bacterial communities associated with the removal of ibuprofen, diclofenac and triclosan in biopurification systems

“…These percentages indicate that some abiotic dissipation occurs, especially in microcosms treated with IBP. Under these conditions, the removal of PPCPs could be influenced by the presence of clay particles and solar radiation via photochemical reactions generating metabolites (Aranami and Readman, 2007;Lonappan et al, 2016;Maldonado-Torres et al, 2018). In fact, two likely abiotically formed metabolites of IBP and DCF, 1-(4-isobutylphenyl)ethanone and 2-(9H-carbazol-1-yl) acetic acid, respectively, were detected in the same type of BPS in a previous study (Delgado-Moreno et al, 2019).…”

Recent advances on the development and application of magnetic activated carbon and char for the removal of pharmaceutical compounds from waters: A review

“…The growing medical and personal needs of the world's population have intensified the release of pharmaceutical compounds and personal care products into the environment (Maldonado-Torres et al, 2018). Due to their universal use, their chemical and physical properties and inefficient removal by conventional wastewater depuration treatments and consequent discharge into receiving waters, the presence of pharmaceutical compounds (hereafter referred only as pharmaceuticals) has raised major concerns to the environment and consequently to human health (Zenker et al, 2014).…”

Meta-Analysis of the Distribution of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Natural Streams of United States and Its Correlations with Anthropogenic Factors

“…PPCPs have numerous nonpoint sources as well . For example, sunscreen, deodorants, and insect repellant can be washed off in recreational water and the antibiotics used for pets and livestock can be washed from their waste into streams or leach into the ground. , Most available studies of PPCP pollutants have been limited to localized sites with presumed high impacts from point sources. Large-scale examinations of PPCP distributions in natural waterways and their potential relationship with human factors are extremely limited.…”