The presence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in Malaysian
waters
and farmed aquatic species in its estuarine environment suggests contamination
due to pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). However,
this issue has lacked serious attention. This study performed suspect
screening to identify tentative PPCPs in water and mussels located
at the Melayu River during high and low tides, followed by a public
awareness survey to understand the public behavior toward handling
PPCPs. In total, 75 PPCPs were tentatively identified. Four and six
compounds were found in surface water during low and high tides, respectively,
while mussel samples showed 50 compounds during low tide and 35 compounds
during high tide. Interestingly, 7 pharmaceuticals and 4 personal
care products appeared in both tides in mussel samples. Survey findings
revealed that while respondents understood PPCP pathways entering
the environment and associated threats, they were unaware of relevant
laws and proper disposal methods for unused pharmaceuticals, which
are often discarded together with domestic wastes. The findings highlight
the urgent need for detailed suspect screening with targeted analysis
in order to establish relevant regulatory measures apart from providing
public education on the proper disposal of PPCPs to mitigate contamination.