Abundance, fate, and effects of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in aquatic environments

Abstract

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are found in wastewater, and thus, the environment. In this study, current knowledge about the occurrence and fate of PPCPs in aquatic systems—including wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and natural waters around the world—is critically reviewed to inform the state of the science and highlight existing knowledge gaps. Excretion by humans is the primary route of PPCPs entry into municipal wastewater systems, but significant contributions also occur through emissions from hospitals, PPCPs manufacturers, and agriculture. Abundance of PPCPs in raw wastewater is influenced by several factors, including the population density and demography served by WWTPs, presence of hospitals and drugs manufacturers in the sewershed, disease burden of the population served, local regulations, and climatic conditions. Based on the data obtained from WWTPs, analgesics, antibiotics, and stimulants (e.g., caffeine) are the most abundant PPCPs in raw wastewater. In conventional WWTPs, most removal of PPCPs occurs during secondary treatment, and overall removal exceeds 90% for treatable PPCPs. Regardless, the total PPCP mass discharged with effluent by an average WWTP into receiving waters (7.35–20,160 g/day) is still considerable, because potential adverse effects of some PPCPs (such as ibuprofen) on aquatic organisms occur within measured concentrations found in surface waters.