Anti-epidemic pharmaceuticals predominantly contributed to PPCPs flux in the Yangtze River during 2020.

Comprehensive screening and occurrence-removal assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater treatment plants using high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Anthropogenic disturbances on distribution and sources of pharmaceuticals and personal care products throughout the Jinsha River Basin, China

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are widely detected in aquatic environments. However, recent studies on the environmental occurrence of currently used PPCPs in Japan are limited. In this study, a nationwide monitoring initiative focusing on PPCPs was undertaken to investigate the occurrence and fate of PPCPs in aquatic environments in Japan. A total of 700 samples were collected and analyzed from 2018 to 2022. Ninety-one PPCPs were detected in the analyzed samples. Three PPCPs [N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), salicylic acid, and crotamiton] were detected at particularly high frequencies, with a prevalence exceeding 99% of analyzed samples. Seasonal variations were observed for several PPCPs across multiple rivers, with concentrations generally increasing during fall/winter and decreasing during spring/summer (except DEET) throughout the sampling period. The detection frequencies and concentrations were higher in PPCPs with higher domestic prescription amounts. Some PPCPs, such as acetylsalicylic acid, exhibited low frequencies and concentrations despite high domestic prescription amounts, suggesting transformation into metabolites or degradates in the aquatic environment. The contribution of sewage treatment plant effluent to the PPCP concentrations in the environment was estimated by examining the correlation between each PPCP and sucralose concentration. Sewage effluents appeared to be a significant contributor to the majority of target PPCPs; however, DEET and certain other PPCPs may originate from alternate sources. This study is the first to provide a comprehensive assessment of the occurrence and fate of PPCPs in Japan's aquatic environment. Future research should assess the environmental and human health risks of these PPCPs and identify the occurrence of their metabolites or degradates in the aquatic environment.

Combined effects of microplastics and pharmaceutical and personal care products on algae: A critical review

Seasonal variation and dissolved organic matter influence on the distribution, transformation, and environmental risk of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in coastal zone: a case study of Tianjin, China

The pollution of water bodies by pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) has attracted widespread concern due to their widespread use and pseudo-persistence, but their effects on sediments are less known. In this study, solid-phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-LC/MSMS) was used to investigate the occurrence and ecological risks of five typical pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in thirteen key reservoirs, sluices, dams, and estuaries in the Haihe River Basin. At the same time, the PPCP exchanges of surface water, groundwater, and sediments in three typical sections were studied. Finally, the PPCP’s environmental risk is evaluated through the environmental risk quotient. The results showed that the five PPCPs were tri-methoprazine (TMP), sinolamine (SMX), ibuprofen (IBU), triclosan (TCS), and caffeine (CAF). The average concentration of these PPCPs ranged from 0 to 481.19 μg/kg, with relatively high concentrations of TCS and CAF. The relationship between PPCPs in the surface sediments was analyzed to reveal correlations between SMX and TMP, CAF and IBU, CAF and TCS. The risk quotients (RQ) method was used to evaluate the ecological risk of the five detected PPCPs. The major contributors of potential environmental risks were IBU, TCS and CAF, among which all the potential environmental risks at the TCS samples were high risk. This study supplemented the research on the ecological risk of PPCPs in sediments of important reaches of the North Canal to reveal the importance of PPCP control in the North Canal and provided a scientific basis for pollution control and risk prevention of PPCPs.

Chapter 9 - Ionic liquids for the removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products

Occurrence and risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) against COVID-19 in lakes and WWTP-river-estuary system in Wuhan, China

Pharmaceutical and personal care products in tile drainage following land application of municipal biosolids

The occurrence and risk management of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are topics receiving considerable attention in recent years. Monitoring of EDC and PPCP residues has been conducted in raw and treated sewage, surface waters, ground waters, and drinking waters. Recent research has been aimed at improving analytical methods and furthering knowledge of fate and transport processes, environmental risks, source reduction, and risk management including treatment of EDC and PPCP contaminants. This paper provides an overview of the topic and regulatory issues pertaining to our understanding and managing of EDCs. In addition, this paper provides discussion on emerging concerns regarding PPCPs in the environment. Completed research is described pertaining to development of analytical methods, occurrence of EDCs and PPCPs in waters of southeastern Louisiana USA and Ontario Canada, assessment of drinking water treatment processes, and experimental results regarding the formation of chlorinated naproxen byproducts and impact of these byproducts on a simulated biofilm system. And finally, EDCs and PPCPs are described from an industry perspective. Background More and more the public is expressing interest in classes of organic micropollutants known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). EDCs and PPCPs represent a wide range of compounds including synthetic and natural hormones, prescription and over-thecounter drugs, and personal care products such as shampoos and deodorants. EDCs and PPCPs have been detected in municipal wastewater effluents, surface water, groundwater, and drinking water supplies at very low levels, typically in the nanogram to microgram per liter levels. In general, public awareness is concerned about how these organic micro-pollutants can potentially affect our water resources, and what are acceptable levels of risk to humans, wildlife, and the environment.

The production and consumption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have grown ominously over the last 3–4 decades. PPCPs, often considered as emerging contaminants, are being perceived as a serious risk to receiving environments, especially water bodies, due to their ecotoxicological effects. Further, many of the PPCPs are generally persistent, leading to their environmental accumulation, which is evident from the several PPCPs detected in rivers, lakes, groundwater, and soils at variable concentration levels. Although high-end and energy intensive systems like membrane processes are fairly effective in the removal of PPCPs from water or wastewater, conventional treatment technologies often fail to remove PPCPs, and hence treated effluents from various sewage treatment plants have been reported to contain PPCPs from parts per million (ppm) to parts per trillion (ppt) levels. This chapter will discuss the cost effective technologies, especially adsorptive removal methods, being developed for the remediation, recovery, and treatment of PPCPs. A series of low-cost natural and synthetic adsorbents are being investigated, and have shown variable effectiveness and potential for the removal of PPCPs. The chapter will include a state-of-art literature summary on various low-cost adsorbents tested for the removal of selective PPCPs.

Occurrence and removal rate of typical pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in an urban wastewater treatment plant in Beijing, China

Biomass energy recovery from sewage sludge through anaerobic treatment is vital for environmental sustainability and a circular economy. However, large amounts of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) remain in sludge, and their interactions with microbes and enzymes would affect resource recovery. This article reviews the effects and mechanisms of PPCPs on anaerobic sludge treatment. Most PPCPs posed adverse impacts on methane production, while certain low-toxicity PPCPs could stimulate volatile fatty acids and biohydrogen accumulation. Changes in the microbial community structure and functional enzyme bioactivities were also summarized with PPCPs exposure. Notably, PPCPs such as carbamazepine could bind with the active sites of the enzyme and induce microbial stress responses. The fate of various PPCPs during anaerobic sludge treatment indicated that PPCPs featuring electron-donating groups (e.g., ·-NH2 and ·-OH), hydrophilicity, and low molecular weight were more susceptible to microbial utilization. Key biodegrading enzymes (e.g., cytochrome P450 and amidase) were crucial for PPCP degradation, although several PPCPs remain refractory to biotransformation. Therefore, remediation technologies including physical pretreatment, chemicals, bioaugmentation, and their combinations for enhancing PPCPs degradation were outlined. Among these strategies, advanced oxidation processes and combined strategies effectively removed complex and refractory PPCPs mainly by generating free radicals, providing recommendations for improving sludge detoxification.

Many pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been shown to be biotransformed in water treatment systems. However, little research exists on the effect of initial PPCP concentration on PPCP biotransformation or on the microbial communities treating impacted water. In this study, biological PPCP removal at various concentrations was assessed using laboratory columns inoculated with wastewater treatment plant effluent. Pyrosequencing was used to examine microbial communities in the columns and in soil from a soil aquifer treatment (SAT; a method of water treatment prior to reuse) site. Laboratory columns were supplied with different concentrations (0.25, 10, 100, or 1,000 μg liter(-1)) of each of 15 PPCPs. Five PPCPs (4-isopropyl-3-methylphenol [biosol], p-chloro-m-xylenol, gemfibrozil, ketoprofen, and phenytoin) were not removed at any tested concentrations. Two PPCPs (naproxen and triclosan) exhibited removals independent of PPCP concentration. PPCP removal efficiencies were dependent on initial concentrations for biphenylol, p-chloro-m-cresol, chlorophene, diclofenac, 5-fluorouracil, ibuprofen, and valproic acid, showing that PPCP concentration can affect biotransformation. Biofilms from sand samples collected from the 0.25- and 10-μg liter(-1) PPCP columns were pyrosequenced along with SAT soil samples collected on three consecutive days of a wetting and drying cycle to enable comparison of these two communities exposed to PPCPs. SAT communities were similar to column communities in taxonomy and phylotype composition, and both were found to contain close relatives of known PPCP degraders. The efficiency of biological removal of PPCPs was found to be dependent on the concentration at which the contamination occurs for some, but not all, PPCPs.

Spatial variations and ecological risks assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in typical lakes of Wuhan, China