Occurrence, Human Health Risks, and Removal of Pharmaceuticals in Aqueous Systems: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Gwenzi, Willis; Kanda, Artwell; Danha, Concilia; Muisa-Zikali, Norah; Chaukura, Nhamo

doi:10.1002/9781119725237.ch2

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 116 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The majority of the studies cited in Africa were reported by individuals or research teams in educational and research institutions. Similar to the scenario for the occurrence of EOCs in DWS, the dearth of data is much more severe with regard to ecological and public health risks [26]. Several studies have speculated on the reasons for this, and they all reflect weak research systems in LICs [4,8,26,27].…”

Section: Occurrence Of Emerging Organic Contaminants In Drinking Wate...mentioning

confidence: 98%

Drinking Water Systems as a Cocktail of Emerging Organic Contaminants: Occurrence, Public Health Risks, and Research Needs

Marumure,

Simbanegavi,

Makuvara

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) of anthropogenic origins are ubiquitous in environmental compartments, including aquatic systems. Thus, EOCs have attracted considerable research and public attention due to their potential human and ecological health risks. However, compared to other aquatic environments such as wastewater systems, comprehensive reviews focussing on the occurrence and human health risks of EOCs in drinking water systems are still lacking. Therefore, to address this knowledge gap, the current review posits that drinking water systems harbour a cocktail of toxic EOCs, which pose public health risks via multiple exposure routes. In the present review, global evidence is examined to track EOCs along the source-pathway-receptor-impact-mitigation (SPRIM) continuum. Evidence shows that, various groups of EOCs, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, solvents, plasticizers, endocrine disrupting compounds, gasoline additives, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), food colourants, artificial sweeteners, and musks and fragrances, have been detected in drinking water systems. The anthropogenic sources of EOCs detected in drinking water systems, including wastewater systems and industrial emissions, are summarized. Further, the behaviour and fate of EOCs in the drinking water systems, including removal processes are discussed. Once in drinking water systems, human exposure to EOCs may occur via ingestion of contaminated drinking water and cooked foods, and possibly dermal contact and inhalation. The high-risk environments, and risk factors and behaviours predisposing humans to EOC exposure are discussed. Evidence on the human health risks of the various EOCs and a critique of the data are presented. Notably, besides inferential data, quantitative epidemiological evidence directly relating the occurrence of EOCs in drinking water systems to specific adverse human health outcomes is still scarce. Lastly, future research directions, including the need for quantitative public health risk assessment, and the application of emerging detection tools are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Occurrence Of Emerging Organic Contaminants In Drinking Wate...mentioning

confidence: 98%

Drinking Water Systems as a Cocktail of Emerging Organic Contaminants: Occurrence, Public Health Risks, and Research Needs

Marumure,

Simbanegavi,

Makuvara

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In recent decades, antibiotic resistance genes have evolved and spread across pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria [85]. In wastewater treatment plants, a wide range of bacteria, antibiotics, metals, and other contaminants interact with the environmental bacteria, making them a hotspot for the evolution of antibiotic resistance [86][87][88]. There is thus an increased chance of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria/antibiotic resistance genes following inadequate wastewater treatments, which are well reported by researchers in the field [89].…”

Section: Emergence Of Antibiotic Resistancementioning

confidence: 99%

Sources of Antibiotic Contamination in Wastewater and Approaches to Their Removal—An Overview

Samrot,

Wilson,

Sanjay Preeth

et al. 2023

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the practice of medicine, antibiotics are extremely important and are employed in the treatment of infections. A lot of antibiotics are consumed by humans and excreted via urine and feces into sewage systems and treatment plants. These are considered to be non-biodegradable, and over the years they accumulate in the aquatic environment. The presence of antibiotics in water resources causes the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a serious threat to the health of human beings. Water bodies must be adequately treated before being discharged to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance. In the present article, the sources of antibiotics and strategies used for their effective removal, such as ultrafiltration, microfiltration, nanofiltration, membranous biological reactor treatment, Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP), Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Nano sorbents, are discussed. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are not able to eliminate antibiotics deposition/resistance genes effectively and efficiently. In this regard, the adsorption method is the most effective way of removing antibiotics from wastewater from various sources.

show abstract

“…The contamination of drinking water and the bioaccumulation of pollutants in these organisms can lead to long-term adverse health effects even in human populations. Studies have shown that some pharmaceutical components, even at low concentrations, can interfere with endocrine systems, disrupt hormonal balance and induce the resistance of microbial communities to antibiotics [24,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Healthcare Effluent Wastewater Samples and the Effectiveness of Drug Removal in Wastewater Treatment Plants Using the UHPLC-MS/MS Method

Molnarova,

Halesova,

Tomesova

et al. 2024

Molecules

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A multi-residue UHPLC–MS/MS analytical method, previously developed for monitoring 52 pharmaceuticals in drinking water, was used to analyse these pharmaceuticals in wastewater originating from healthcare facilities in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, the methodology was expanded to include the evaluation of the effectiveness of drug removal in Czech wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Of the 18 wastewater samples analysed by the validated UHPLC-MS/MS, each sample contained at least one quantifiable analyte. This study reveals the prevalence of several different drugs; mean concentrations of 702 μg L−1 of iomeprol, 48.8 μg L−1 of iopromide, 29.9 μg L−1 of gabapentin, 42.0 μg L−1 of caffeine and 82.5 μg L−1 of paracetamol were present. An analysis of 20 samples from ten WWTPs revealed different removal efficiencies for different analytes. Paracetamol was present in the inflow samples of all ten WWTPs and its removal efficiency was 100%. Analytes such as caffeine, ketoprofen, naproxen or atenolol showed high removal efficiencies exceeding 80%. On the other hand, pharmaceuticals like furosemide, metoprolol, iomeprol, zolpidem and tramadol showed lower removal efficiencies. Four pharmaceuticals exhibited higher concentrations in WWTP effluents than in the influents, resulting in negative removal efficiencies: warfarin at −9.5%, indomethacin at −53%, trimethoprim at −54% and metronidazole at −110%. These comprehensive findings contribute valuable insights to the pharmaceutical landscape of wastewater from healthcare facilities and the varied removal efficiencies of Czech WWTPs, which together with the already published literature, gives a more complete picture of the burden on the aquatic environment.

show abstract

Occurrence, Human Health Risks, and Removal of Pharmaceuticals in Aqueous Systems: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Cited by 8 publications

References 116 publications

Drinking Water Systems as a Cocktail of Emerging Organic Contaminants: Occurrence, Public Health Risks, and Research Needs

Drinking Water Systems as a Cocktail of Emerging Organic Contaminants: Occurrence, Public Health Risks, and Research Needs

Sources of Antibiotic Contamination in Wastewater and Approaches to Their Removal—An Overview

Monitoring Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Healthcare Effluent Wastewater Samples and the Effectiveness of Drug Removal in Wastewater Treatment Plants Using the UHPLC-MS/MS Method

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About