Do pharmaceuticals reach and affect the aquatic ecosystems in Brazil? A critical review of current studies in a developing country

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• 作者：Gabrielle Rabelo Quadra…
• 关键词：Contaminants ; Drugs ; Ecotoxicological tests ; Exposure ; Health ; Pollutants ; Residues ; WWTPs
• 刊名：Environmental Science and Pollution Research
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：January 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：24
• 期：2
• 页码：1200-1218
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Earth and Environmental Science
• 刊物主题：Environment, general; Environmental Chemistry; Ecotoxicology; Environmental Health; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Waste Water Technology / Water Pollution Control / Water M
• 出版者：Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• ISSN：1614-7499
• 卷排序：24

文摘

Pharmaceutical residues are not completely removed in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) becoming contaminants in aquatic ecosystems. Thereby, it is important to investigate their concentrations in the environment and the possible consequences of their occurrence, including for human health. Here, we briefly reviewed the paths of pharmaceuticals to reach the environment, their behavior and fate in the environment, and the possible consequences of their occurrence. Moreover, we synthetized all the studies about the detection of pharmaceuticals in Brazilian water bodies and the available ecotoxicological knowledge on their effects. In this study, when we compare the data found on these compounds worldwide, we observed that Brazilian surface waters present considerable concentrations of 17α-ethinylestradiol, 17β-estradiol, and caffeine. In general, concentrations found in aquatic systems worldwide seems to be low; however, ecotoxicological tests showed that even these low concentrations can cause sublethal effects in biota. The knowledge about the effects of continuous exposure and mixtures is sparse. In summary, new research is urgently required about the effects of these compounds in biota—including long-term exposition and mixture tests—and on specific technologies to remove these compounds in water bodies and WWTPs, besides the introduction of new policies for pharmaceutical use.