Abstract
The growing production and use of chemicals and the resultant increase in environmental exposure is of particular concern in developing countries where there is rapid industrialization and population growth but limited information on the occurrence of emerging contaminants. Advances in analytical techniques now allow for the monitoring of emerging contaminants at very low concentrations with the potential to cause harmful ecotoxicological effects. Therefore, we provide the first critical assessment of the current state of knowledge about chemical exposure in waters of the Southern African Developmental Community (SADC). We achieved this through a comprehensive literature review and the creation of a database of chemical monitoring data. Of the 59 articles reviewed, most (n = 36; 61.0%) were from South Africa, and the rest were from Botswana (n = 6; 10.2%), Zimbabwe (n = 6; 10.2%), Malawi (n = 3; 5.1%), Mozambique (n = 3; 5.1%), Zambia (n = 2; 3.4%), Angola (n = 1; 1.7%), Madagascar (n = 1; 1.7%), and Tanzania (n = 1; 1.7%). No publications were found from the remaining seven SADC countries. Emerging contaminants have only been studied in South Africa and Botswana. The antiretroviral drug ritonavir (64.52 µg/L) was detected at the highest average concentration, and ibuprofen (17 times) was detected most frequently. Despite being the primary water source in the region, groundwater was understudied (only 13 studies). High emerging contaminant concentrations in surface waters indicate the presence of secondary sources of pollution such as sewage leakage. We identify research gaps and propose actions to assess and reduce chemical pollution to enable the SADC to address the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3.9, to reduce the deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and contamination. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:382–395. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
Highlights
There is growing production and use of chemicals worldwide with estimates of more than 250,000 unique chemicals registered for use throughout the world (Wang et al, 2020)
The remaining 39% (23 studies) were conducted in the other eight countries. This may be attributed to more research funding and capacity, more environmental reporting from public agencies, or the presence of many more global technological companies in South Africa compared with neighboring countries
This could be due to the environmental importance of the country's highlands for water security in the Drakensberg Basin, and the growing industrial threats described in the Introduction
Summary
There is growing production and use of chemicals worldwide with estimates of more than 250,000 unique chemicals registered for use throughout the world (Wang et al, 2020). Advances in analytical techniques have allowed for the determination of emerging contaminants (e.g., pharmaceuticals and personal care products [PCPs]) in the environment at low pg/L concentrations (Adeleye et al, 2021; Snow et al, 2020). Emerging contaminants are collectively referred to as newly synthesized and natural chemicals unintentionally released into the environment that have the potential to cause adverse ecological or human health impacts (Bellenger & Cabana, 2014; Sorensen et al, 2014). Emerging contaminants include classes of compounds (such as microplastics, nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, PCPs, endocrine‐disruptive compounds [EDCs], steroids, flame retardants, illicit drugs, and hormones) that are not explicitly defined in environmental regulations frequently detected in the environment (Fontes et al, 2020)
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