Abstract
The procedures for analyzing pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are typically tedious and expensive and thus, it is necessary to synthesize all available information from previously conducted research. An extensive collection of PPCP data from the published literature was compiled to determine the occurrence, pathways, and the effectiveness of current treatment technologies for the removal of PPCPs in water and wastewater. Approximately 90% of the compiled published papers originated from Asia, Europe, and the North American regions. The incomplete removal of PPCPs in different water and wastewater treatment processes was widely reported, thus resulting in the occurrence of PPCP compounds in various environmental compartments. Caffeine, carbamazepine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, triclosan, and triclocarban were among the most commonly reported compounds detected in water and solid matrices. Trace concentrations of PPCPs were also detected on plants and animal tissues, indicating the bioaccumulative properties of some PPCP compounds. A significant lack of studies regarding the presence of PPCPs in animal and plant samples was identified in the review. Furthermore, there were still knowledge gaps on the ecotoxicity, sub-lethal effects, and effective treatment processes for PPCPs. The knowledge gaps identified in this study can be used to devise a more effective research paradigm and guidelines for PPCP management.
Highlights
Emerging pollutants (EPs) consist of wide spectra of chemical compounds that can potentially lead to several environmental issues
Contrary to the findings presented by Padhye et al (2014), Datel and Hrabankova (2020) reported that pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) compounds responded well to the conventional water treatment technique [59]
Since the characteristics of sludge and biosolids are primarily derived from wastewater, the frequent detection of carbamazepine and diclofenac was observed in the samples
Summary
Emerging pollutants (EPs) consist of wide spectra of chemical compounds that can potentially lead to several environmental issues. These chemicals can occur naturally or can be manufactured synthetically for various industrial, medical, and other practical daily life applications. Despite the common notion that EPs are new substances that have been recently developed or produced, the majority of these chemicals have been already present in the environment for a long time [1]. Conventional analytical methods and instruments were not capable of detecting compounds at very low concentrations and the presence of EPs in various matrices were not studied until the recent developments in detection technologies [2,3]. There are more than 180 million compounds indexed by the American Chemical Society (CAS Registry®) at present and the probability of synthesizing new compounds is still high due to the further advancements in the field of research and development [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
