Occurrence and health risk assessment of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in tap water of Shanghai

Pharmaceuticals and personal care product modelling: Unleashing artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities and impact on one health and sustainable development goals

The presence of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment poses a significant threat to environmental resources, given their potential risks to ecosystems and human health, even in trace amounts. While mathematical modelling offers a comprehensive approach to understanding the fate and transport of PPCPs in the environment, such studies have garnered less attention compared to field and laboratory investigations. This review examines the current state of modelling PPCPs, focusing on their sources, fate and transport mechanisms, and interactions within the whole ecosystem. Emphasis is placed on critically evaluating and discussing the underlying principles, ongoing advancements, and applications of diverse multimedia models across geographically distinct regions. Furthermore, the review underscores the imperative of ensuring data quality, strategically planning monitoring initiatives, and leveraging cutting-edge modelling techniques in the quest for a more holistic understanding of PPCP dynamics. It also ventures into prospective developments, particularly the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) methodologies, to enhance the precision and predictive capabilities of PPCP models. In addition, the broader implications of PPCP modelling on sustainability development goals (SDG) and the One Health approach are also discussed. GIS-based modelling offers a cost-effective approach for incorporating time-variable parameters, enabling a spatially explicit analysis of contaminant fate. Swin-Transformer model enhanced with Normalization Attention Modules demonstrated strong groundwater level estimation with an R2 of 82 %. Meanwhile, integrating Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) time-series with gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) data has been pivotal for assessing water-mass changes in the Indo-Gangetic basin, enhancing PPCP fate and transport modelling accuracy, though ongoing refinement is necessary for a comprehensive understanding of PPCP dynamics. The review aims to establish a framework for the future development of a comprehensive PPCP modelling approach, aiding researchers and policymakers in effectively managing water resources impacted by increasing PPCP levels.

Multiplex electrochemical aptasensor for the simultaneous detection of linomycin and neomycin antibiotics

The escalating use of antibiotics across diverse sectors, including human healthcare, agriculture, and livestock, has led to their pervasive presence in the environment, raising concerns about their impact on ecosystems and human health. Traditional detection methods, reliant on high-performance liquid chromatography and immuno-assays, face challenges of complexity, cross-reactivity, and limited specificity. Aptamer-based biosensors offer a promising alternative, leveraging the specificity, stability, and cost-effectiveness of aptamers. Herein, we present a novel dual-screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) biosensor, modified with a nanocomposite of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs), for the label-free electrochemical detection of lincomycin and neomycin antibiotics. Lincomycin and neomycin, two antibiotics of environmental concern due to their widespread usage and potential ecological impact, were simultaneously detected using square wave voltammetry. The aptasensors showed high sensitivity with detection limits of 0.02 pg/mL and 0.035 pg/mL for lincomycin and neomycin, respectively. The developed biosensor exhibited high selectivity and reproducibility in detecting both antibiotics. This multiplex biosensing platform offers a promising strategy for efficient and cost-effective monitoring of antibiotic residues in environmental samples, addressing the critical need for robust detection methods in environmental monitoring and public health surveillance.

Characteristics and functional bacteria of an efficient benzocaine-mineralizing bacterial consortium

The extensive use of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) has led to widespread residual pollution, which increases the risk of the development of drug resistance in pathogenic microorganisms. Benzocaine is a PPCP that is widely used medical anesthesia and in sunscreen. Microorganisms are essential for the degradation of residual PPCPs. However, no studies have reported the microbial degradation of benzocaine. In this study, through continuous enrichment of the initial consortium HJ1, the highly efficient benzocaine-degrading consortium HJ7 was obtained, HJ7 exhibited a degradation rate that was 1.92 times greater than that of HJ1. Methyl 4-aminobenzoate and 4-aminobenzoic acid were identified as major intermediate products during benzocaine biodegradation by consortium HJ1 or HJ7. Methylobacillus (57.8 % ± 0.9 %) and Pseudomonas (22.1 % ± 0.7 %), which are thought to harbor essential species for benzocaine degradation, were significantly enriched in consortium HJ7. Two benzocaine-degrading strains, Pseudomonas sp. A8 and Microbacterium sp. A741, and one methyl 4-aminobenzoate-degrading strain, Achromobacter sp. A5, were isolated from consortium HJ7, and they synergistically mineralized benzocaine. These findings not only provide new insights into the biotransformation of benzocaine but also provide strain resources for the bioremediation of residual benzocaine in the environment.

Pharmaceuticals in raw and treated water from drinking water treatment plants nationwide: Insights into their sources and exposure risk assessment

Due to the large amounts of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) currently being consumed and released into the environment, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of pharmaceutical pollution in both raw and treated water from full-scale drinking water treatment plants nationwide. Our investigation revealed that 30 out of 37 PPCPs were present in raw water with mean concentrations ranging from 0.01-131 ng/L. The raw water sources, surface water (ND - 147 ng/L), subsurface water (ND - 123 ng/L) and reservoir sources (ND - 135 ng/L) exhibited higher mean concentration levels of pharmaceutical residues compared to groundwater sources (ND - 1.89 ng/L). Meanwhile, in treated water, 17 of the 37 analyzed PPCPs were present with carbamazepine, clarithromycin, fluconazole, telmisartan, valsartan, and cotinine being the most common (detection frequency > 40 %), and having mean concentrations of 1.22, 0.12, 3.48, 40.1, 6.36, and 3.73 ng/L, respectively. These findings highlight that, while water treatment processes are effective, there are some persistent compounds that prove challenging to fully eliminate. Using Monte Carlo simulations, risk assessment indicated that most of these compounds are likely to have negligible impact on human health, except for the antihypertensives. Telmisartan was identified as posing the highest ecological risk (RQ > 1), warranting further investigation, and monitoring. The study concludes by prioritizing specific 14 pharmaceuticals, including telmisartan, clarithromycin, lamotrigine, cotinine, lidocaine, tramadol, and others, for future monitoring to safeguard both ecological and human health.

Occurrence of pharmaceutical residues in drinking water: a systematic review

The aim of the present paper was to give a complete picture on the drinking water contamination by pharmaceutical residues all over the world. For this purpose, a systematic review was carried out for identifying all available research reporting original data resulting by sampling campaign and analysis of "real" drinking water samples to detect pharmaceutical residues. The investigated databases were PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. A total of 124 studies were included; among these, 33 did not find target analytes (all below the limit of detection), while the remaining 91 studies reported the presence for one or more compounds, in concentrations ranging from a few units to a few tens of nanograms. The majority of the studies were performed in Europe and the most represented categories were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics. The most common analytical approach used is the preparation and analysis of the samples by solid-phase extraction and chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The main implications resulting from our review are the need for (a) further studies aimed to allow more accurate environmental, wildlife, and human health risk assessments and (b) developing integrated policies promoting less environmentally persistent drugs, the reduction of pharmaceuticals in livestock breeding, and the update of wastewater and drinking water treatment plants for a better removal of drugs and their metabolites.

Parabens and triclosan in red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) from China: Concentrations, tissue distribution and related human dietary intake risk

Parabens (PBs) and triclosan (TCS) are commonly found in pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). As a result, they have been extensively found in the environment, particularly in aquaculture operations. Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) consumption has significantly risen in China. Nevertheless, the levels of PBs and TCS in this species and the associated risk to human dietary intake remain undisclosed. This study assessed the amounts of five PBs, i.e., methyl-paraben (MeP), ethyl-paraben (EtP), propyl-paraben (PrP), butyl-paraben (BuP) and benzyl-paraben (BzP), as well as TCS in crayfish taken from five provinces of the middle-lower Yangtze River. MeP, PrP and TCS showed the highest detection rates (hepatopancreas: 46-86 %; muscle: 63-77 %) since they are commonly used in PPCPs. Significantly higher levels of ∑5PBs (median: 3.69 ng/g) and TCS (median: 7.27 ng/g) were significantly found in the hepatopancreas compared to the muscle (median: 0.39 ng/g for ∑5PBs and 0.16 ng/g for TCS) (p < 0.05), indicating bioaccumulation of these chemicals in the hepatopancreas. The estimated daily intake values of ∑5PBs and TCS calculated from the median concentrations of crayfish were 6.44-7.94 ng/kg bw/day and 11.4-14.0 ng/kg bw/day, respectively. Although no health risk was predicted from consuming crayfish (HQ <1), consumption of the hepatopancreas is not recommended.

Research progress on the generation of NDMA by typical PPCPs in disinfection treatment of water environment in China: A review

The drugs and personal care products in water sources are potential threats to the ecological environment and drinking water quality. In recent years, the presence of PPCPs has been detected in multiple drinking water sources in China. PPCPs are usually stable and resistant to degradation in aquatic environments. During chlorination, chloramination, and ozonation disinfection processes, PPCPs can act as precursor substances to generate N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) which is the most widely detected nitrosamine byproduct in drinking water. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of PPCPs in China's water environment on the generation of NDMA during disinfection processes to better understand the correlation between PPCPs and NDMA generation. Chloramine is the most likely to form NDMA with different disinfection methods, so chloramine disinfection may be the main pathway for NDMA generation. Activated carbon adsorption and UV photolysis are widely used in the removal of NDMA and its precursor PPCPs, and biological treatment is found to be a low-cost and high removal rate method for controlling the generation of NDMA. However, there are still certain regional limitations in the investigation and research on PPCPs, and other nitrosamine by-products such as NMEA, NDEA and NDBA should also be studied to investigate the formation mechanism and removal methods.

Determination of phenytoin at trace levels in domestic wastewater and synthetic urine samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after its preconcentration by simple liquid-phase microextraction

This work presents a sensitive and accurate analytical method for the determination of phenytoin at trace levels in domestic wastewater and synthetic urine samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after the metal sieve-linked double syringe liquid-phase microextraction (MSLDS-LPME) method. A metal sieve was produced in our laboratory in order to disperse water-immiscible extraction solvents into aqueous media. Univariate optimization studies for the selection of proper extraction solvent, extraction solvent volume, mixing cycle, and initial sample volume were carried out. Under the optimum MSLDS-LPME conditions, mass-based dynamic range, limit of quantitation (LOQ), limit of detection (LOD), and percent relative standard deviation (%RSD) for the lowest concentration in calibration plot were figured out to be 100.5-10964.2 μg kg-1, 150.6 μg kg-1, 45.2 μg kg-1, and 9.4%, respectively. Detection power was improved as 187.7-folds by the developed MSLDS-LPME-GC-MS system while enhancement in calibration sensitivity was recorded as 188.0-folds. In the final step of this study, the accuracy and applicability of the proposed system were tested by matrix matching calibration strategy. Percent recovery results for domestic wastewater and synthetic urine samples were calculated as 95.6-110.3% and 91.7-106.6%, respectively. These results proved the accuracy and applicability of the proposed preconcentration method, and the obtained analytical results showed the efficiency of the lab-made metal sieve apparatus.

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

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are emerging contaminants that have raised urgent environmental issues. The dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a pivotal role on PPCPs' migration and transformation. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the occurrence and distribution of PPCPs, a seasonal sampling focused on the riverine system in coastal zone, Tianjin, Bohai Rim was conducted. The distribution and transformation of thirty-three PPCPs and their interaction with DOM were investigated, and their sources and ecological risks were further evaluated. The total concentration of PPCPs ranges from 0.01 to 197.20 μg/L, and such value is affected by regional temperature, DOM and land use types. PPCPs migration at soil-water interface is controlled by temperature, sunlight, water flow and DOM. PPCPs have a high affinity to the protein-like DOM, while the humus-like DOM plays a negative influence and facilitates PPCPs' degradation. It is also found that protein-like DOM can represent point source pollution, while humus-like substances indicate non-point source (NPS) emission. Specific PPCPs can be used as markers to trace the source of domestic discharge. Additionally, daily use PPCPs such as ketoprofen, caffeine and iopromide are estimated to be the main risk substances, and their ecological risk varies on space, season and river hydraulic condition.

Selection of priority emerging contaminants in surface waters of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka

The challenge of emerging contaminants (ECs) in global surface water bodies and particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, is evident from the literature. The complexity arises from the high costs involved in EC analysis and the extensive list of ECs, which complicates the selection of essential compounds for scientific and regulatory investigations. Consequently, monitoring programs often include ECs that may have minimal significance within a region and do not pose known or suspected ecological or human health risks. This study aims to address this issue by employing a multi-risk assessment approach to identify priority ECs in the surface waters of the aforementioned countries. Through an analysis of occurrence levels and frequency data gathered from published literature, an optimized risk quotient (RQ) was derived. The findings reveal a priority list of 38 compounds that exhibit potential environmental risks and merit consideration in future water quality monitoring programs. Furthermore, the majority of antibiotics in India (12 out of 17) and Pakistan (7 out of 17) exhibit a risk quotient for antimicrobial resistance selection (RQAMR) greater than 1, highlighting the need for devising effective strategies to mitigate the escalation of antibiotic resistance in the environment.

Spatiotemporal distribution and ecological risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from Luoma Lake, an important node of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project

PPCPs (pharmaceuticals and personal care products) are widely found in the environment and can be a risk to human and ecosystem health. In this study, spatiotemporal distribution, critical risk source identification and potential risks of 14 PPCPs found in water collected from sampling points in Luoma Lake and its inflowing rivers in two seasons in 2019 and 2020 were investigated. The PPCPs concentrations ranged from 27.64 ng·L-1 to 613.08 ng·L-1 in December 2019, and from 16.67 ng·L-1 to 3287.41 ng·L-1 in April 2020. Ketoprofen (KPF) dominated the PPCPs with mean concentrations of 125.85 ng·L-1 and 640.26 ng·L-1, respectively. Analysis of sources showed that the pollution in Luoma Lake mostly originated from sewage treatment plant effluents, inflowing rivers and domestic wastewater. Among them, the inflowing rivers contributed the most (82.95%) to the concentration of total PPCPs. The results of ecological risk assessment showed that there was a moderate risk (0.1 < RQs < 1) from carbamazepine (CBZ) in December 2019 and a high risk (RQs > 1) from naproxen (NPX) in April 2020. The results of human risk assessment found that NPX posed a high risk to infant health, and we found that NPX was associated with 83 diseases according to Comparative Toxicogenomics Database. NPX was identified as a substance requiring major attention. The results provide an understanding of the concentrations and ecological risks of PPCPs in Luoma Lake. We believe the data will support environmental departments to develop management strategies and prevent PPCPs pollution.

Environmental occurrence, risk, and removal strategies of pyrazolones: A critical review

Pyrazolones, widely used as analgesic and anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals, have become a significant concern because of their persistence and widespread presence in engineered (e.g., wastewater treatment plants) and natural environments. Thus, the urgent task is to ensure the effective and cost-efficient removal of pyrazolones. Advanced oxidation processes are the most commonly used removal method. Furthermore, the biodegradation of pyrazolones has been exploited using microbial communities or pure strains; however, screening for efficient degrading bacteria and clarifying the biodegradation mechanisms required further research. In this critical review, we overview the environmental occurrence of pyrazolones, their potential ecological health risks, and their corresponding removal techniques (e.g., O3 oxidation, photocatalysis, and Fenton-like process). We also emphasize the prospects for the risk and contamination control of pyrazolones in various environments using physicochemical-biochemical coupling technology. Collectively, the environmental occurrence of pyrazolones poses significant public health concerns, necessitating heightened attention and the implementation of effective methods to minimize their environmental risks.

Eu3+ functionalized metal-organic framework for selective monitoring of emerging environmental pollutants non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as a new water pollutant emerging in recent years, has potential hazards to the environment. The difficult degradation characteristics of NSAIDs lead to long-term accumulation in the natural environment, which will inevitably cause incalculable damage to human health. In this work, for practical application considerations, MIL-53(Al) type MOF [Al(OH)(TDC)]‧1.5H₂O‧0.7DMF (MIL-53-TDC, TDC = 2,5-thiophene dicarboxylic acid) with good water stability is selected as the sensing main body. The ligand TDC was chosen for two reasons: one is as an antenna ligand, which can sensitize Eu³⁺ ions to emit characteristic fluorescence; the other is as binding site that the sulfur atoms on the thiophene ring can introduce Eu³⁺ ions through coordination. Thus, Eu³⁺ functionalized MIL-53-TDC hybrid materials (Eu@MIL-53-TDC) were developed as a fluorescence sensor for the detection of two kinds of NSAIDs, S-ibuprofen (S-IBP) and diclofenac (DCF). The concentration range of S-IBP and DCF detected by the prepared sensors is 0.001-0.07 mM (LOD = 0.5 μM) and 0.0005-0.1 mM (LOD = 0.2 μM), respectively. Moreover, this sensor not only can achieve rapid (3 min) and sensitive analysis of these two NSAIDs but also has a satisfactory recovery for the detection of S-IBP and DCF in serum and tap water.

Advancements in the dominion of fate and transport of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment-a bibliometric study

The study on the fate and transport of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products, PPCPs (FTP) in the environment, has received particular attention for over two decades. The PPCPs threaten ecology and human health even at low concentrations due to their synergistic effects and long-range transport. The research aims to provide an inclusive map of the scientific background of FTP research over the last 25 years, from 1996 to 2020, to identify the main characteristics, evolution, salient research themes, trends, and research hotspots in the field of interest. Bibliometric networks were synthesized and analyzed for 577 journal articles extracted from the Scopus database. Consequently, seven major themes of FTP research were identified as follows: (i) PPCPs category; (ii) hazardous effects; (iii) occurrence of PPCPs; (iv) PPCPs in organisms; (v) remediation; (vi) FTP-governing processes; and (vii) assessment in the environment. The themes gave an in-depth picture of the sources of PPCPs and their transport and fate processes in the environment, which originated from sewage treatment plants and transported further to sediment/soils/groundwater/oceans that act as the PPCPs' major sink. The article provided a rigorous analysis of the research landscape in the FTP study conducted during the specified years. The prominent research themes, content analysis, and research hotspots identified in the study may serve as the basis of real-time guidance to lead future research areas and a prior review for policymakers and practitioners.

Insight into pharmaceutical and personal care products removal using constructed wetlands: A comprehensive review

Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) were regarded as emerging environmental pollutants due to their ubiquitous appearance and high environmental risks. The wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) became the hub of PPCPs receiving major sources of PPCPs used by humans. Increasing concern has been focused on promoting cost-effective ways to eliminate PPCPs within WWTPs for blocking their route into the environment through effluent discharging. Among all advanced technologies, constructed wetlands (CWs) with a combination of plants, substrates, and microbes attracted attention due to their cost-effectiveness and easier maintenance during long-term operation. This study offers baseline data for risk control and future treatment by discussing the extent and dispersion of PPCPs in surface waters over the past ten years and identifying the mechanisms of PPCPs removal in CWs based on the up-to-present research, with a special focus on the contribution of sediments, vegetation, and the interactions of microorganisms. The significant role of wetland plants in the removal of PPCPs was detailed discussed in identifying the contribution of direct uptake, adsorption, phytovolatilization, and biodegradation. Meanwhile, the correlation between the physical-chemical characteristics of PPCPs, the configuration operation of wetlands, as well as the environmental conditions with PPCP removal were also further estimated. Finally, the critical issues and knowledge gaps before the real application were addressed followed by promoted future works, which are expected to provide a comprehensive foundation for study on PPCPs elimination utilizing CWs and drive to achieve large-scale applications to treat PPCPs-contaminated surface waters.

Trends in removal of pharmaceuticals in contaminated water using waste coffee and tea-based materials with their derivatives

The introduction of large amounts of pharmaceuticals into the environmental waters is well-documented in literature with their occurrence reported in all different water matrices accessible to humans and animals. At the same time, the increasing consumption of coffee and tea-based beverages results in the generation of solid waste, which is mostly disposed-off in the environment. To minimize environmental pollution, coffee and tea-based materials have been proposed as suitable options to remove pharmaceuticals in environmental waters. Therefore, this article provides a critical review on the preparation and applications of coffee and tea-based materials in removing pharmaceuticals from contaminated water. In this context, most studies in literature focused on the applications of these materials as adsorbents, while only limited work on their role in degradation of pharmaceuticals is discussed. The successful application in adsorption studies is attributed to high surface areas of adsorbents and the ability to easily modify the adsorbent surfaces by incorporating functional groups that provide additional oxygen atoms, which promote easy interactions with pharmaceuticals. Hence, the adsorption mechanisms are mostly described by hydrogen bonding, electrostatic and π-π interactions with sample pH playing a dominant role in the adsorption process. Overall, the present article focused on the developments, trends and future research direction on the preparations and applications of coffee and tea-based materials for efficient removal of pharmaceuticals in water. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Review of tea and coffee wastes application for removal of pharmaceuticals in water Key applications in adsorption and degradation of pharmaceuticals in water Removal mostly explained by hydrogen bonding, electrostatic, and π-π interactions Trends, gaps, and future research to be explored are reviewed and highlighted.

Applications of biochar in sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes for the removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products

Recently, biochar (BC) has been increasingly used as a catalyst for the degradation of 'emerging pollutants' (EPs). Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), which come under 'EPs', can be harmful to the aquatic ecosystem despite being present in very low concentrations (ng/L-μg/L). Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), which produce sulfate radical (SR-AOPs), show a great potential to degrade PPCPs effectively from wastewater. It is mainly due to the higher stability, long half-lives and better non-selectivity of SO₄^{• -} compared with AOPs with •OH generation. Furthermore, research focus is now given on AOPs coupled with BC-supported catalyst to enhance the degradation of PPCPs because of quicker generation of radicals (•OH, SO₄^•-) by the activation of persulfate (PS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS). This article sheds light on the catalytic ability of BC after its physical and chemical modifications such as acid/alkali treatment and metal doping. The role of persistent free radicals (PFRs) in the BC for effective removal of PPCPs has been elaborated. Its potential applications in synthetic as well as real wastewater have also been discussed.

Maternal transfer of florfenicol impacts development and disrupts metabolic pathways in F1 offspring zebrafish by destroying mitochondria

Maternal exposure to antibiotics existing in the environment is a predisposing factor for developmental malformation with metabolic disorders in offspring. In this study, female zebrafish (3 months) were exposed to 0.05 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L florfenicol (FF) for 28 days. After pairing and spawning with healthy male fish, F1 embryos were collected and developed to 5 d post-fertilization (dpf) in clear water. And the adverse effects on the F1 generation were examined thoroughly. The fecundity of F0 female fish and the hatchability, mortality, and body length of F1 larvae significantly decreased in the treatment group. Meanwhile, multi-malformation types were found in the exposure group, including delayed yolk sac absorption, lack of swim bladder, and spinal curvature. Metabolomic and transcriptomic results revealed alterations in metabolism with dysregulation in tricarboxylase acid cycle, amino acid metabolism, and disordered lipid metabolism with elevated levels of glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid. Accompanying these metabolic derangements, decreased levels of ATP and disordered oxidative-redox state were observed. These results were consistent with the damaged mitochondrial membrane potential and respiratory chain function, suggesting that the developmental toxicity and perturbed metabolic signaling in the F1 generation were related to the mitochondrial injury after exposing F0 female zebrafish to FF. Our findings highlighted the potential toxicity of FF to offspring generations even though they were not directly exposed to environmental contaminants.

Peroxymonosulfate activated by composite ceramic membrane for the removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) mixture: Insights of catalytic and noncatalytic oxidation

A composite manganese-based catalytic ceramic membrane (Mn-CCM) was developed by a solid-state sintering method, and its effectiveness toward activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of 11 pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) mixture was tested. The optimized Mn-CCMs/PMS system showed remarkable degradation efficiencies for PPCPs mixture with total removal >90% in ultrapure water, river water and natural organic matter (NOM) solution. The Mn-CCMs/PMS system showed the contribution of different phenomena in PPCPs removal in the order of catalytic oxidation (54.7%, Mn-CCMs/PMS) > noncatalytic oxidation (42.3%, PMS oxidation) > adsorption (3.0%, by Mn-CCMs). The singlet oxygen (¹O₂) was the dominant reactive oxygen specie for the degradation of PPCPs in all water matrices proved by the quenching experiments and electro-paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The extraordinary stability of Mn-CCMs for the activation of PMS has been noted in terms of repeatability experiments for PPCPs degradation with fewer leaching of Mn (1.9 to 3.6 µg/L). Mineralization was achieved in the range of 28-65% for different water matrices. The toxicity of the PPCPs mixture was reduced by 85.9%. The Mn-CCMs/PMS system showed a reduction (25-100%) in precursors of different carbon- and nitrogen-based disinfection by-products. This study found the Mn-CCMs/PMS system as a feasible purification unit for removing trace concentrations of PPCPs (ng/L) in real drinking water matrices.

Distribution in marine fish and EDI estimation of contaminants of emerging concern by vortex-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion and HPLC-MS/MS

Due to their persistence or continuous discharge, toxic substances are present in the aquatic environment, and can bioaccumulate and biomagnify in the food web, generating a significant ecological risk and a threat to human health. The present study assess the occurrence and tissue (muscle, liver, stomach and gills) distribution of 59 anthropogenic contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in marine fish from Brazil. A simpler and faster analytical methodology based on vortex-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion (VA-MSPD) and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated. Limits of quantification ranged from 3.31 to 114 ng g^-1 dw with recovery rates between 60 and 140 % and relative standard deviation below 20 %. The ultraviolet filters 4-hydroxybenzophenone (4HB) (benzophenone-3 metabolite) and benzocaine (Et-PABA), and the antibacterial salicylic acid were frequently accumulated in muscle and liver at concentrations between 39.5 and 21.0 ngg^-1 dw. The determined concentrations resulted to be lower than the tolerable daily intake recommended by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Molecular Mechanism of Chloramphenicol and Thiamphenicol Resistance Mediated by a Novel Oxidase, CmO, in Sphingomonadaceae

Antibiotic resistance mediated by bacterial enzyme inactivation plays a crucial role in the degradation of antibiotics in the environment. Chloramphenicol (CAP) resistance by enzymatic inactivation comprises nitro reduction, amide bond hydrolysis, and acetylation modification. However, the molecular mechanism of enzymatic oxidation of CAP remains unknown. Here, a novel oxidase gene, cmO, was identified and confirmed biochemically. The encoded CmO oxidase could catalyze the oxidation at the C-1' and C-3' positions of CAP and thiamphenicol (TAP) in Sphingobium sp. strain CAP-1. CmO is highly conserved in members of the family Sphingomonadaceae and shares the highest amino acid similarity of 41.05% with the biochemically identified glucose methanol choline (GMC) oxidoreductases. Molecular docking and site-directed mutagenesis analyses demonstrated that CAP was anchored inside the protein pocket of CmO with the hydrogen bonding of key residues glycine (G) 99, asparagine (N) 518, methionine (M) 474, and tyrosine (Y) 380. CAP sensitivity tests demonstrated that the acetyltransferase and CmO could enable a higher level of resistance to CAP than the amide bond-hydrolyzing esterase and nitroreductase. This study provides a better theoretical basis and a novel diagnostic gene for understanding and assessing the fate and resistance risk of CAP and TAP in the environment. IMPORTANCE Rising levels of antibiotic resistance are undermining ecological and human health as a result of the indiscriminate usage of antibiotics. Various resistance mechanisms have been characterized-for example, genes encoding proteins that degrade antibiotics-and yet, this requires further exploration. In this study, we report a novel gene encoding an oxidase involved in the inactivation of typical amphenicol antibiotics (chloramphenicol and thiamphenicol), and the molecular mechanism is elucidated. The findings provide novel data with which to understand the capabilities of bacteria to tackle antibiotic stress, as well as the complex function of enzymes in the contexts of antibiotic resistance development and antibiotic removal. The reported gene can be further employed as an indicator to monitor amphenicol's fate in the environment, thus benefiting risk assessment in this era of antibiotic resistance.

Occurrence, data-based modelling, and risk assessment of emerging contaminants in an alluvial aquifer polluted by river recharge

This research presents the occurrence and fate of 121 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in an urban aquifer polluted by river recharge through a data-base modelling. Afterwards, risk quotients (RQs) are computed to determine the risk posed by CECs to human health. To this end, groundwater and river water samples were collected in four campaigns conducted from February to May 2021. Results show that 46 CECs are ubiquitous in groundwater and their concentrations vary several orders of magnitude, ranging from below the limit of quantification to 44.5·10³ ng/L for iopamidol. Transformation products (TPs) are usually detected at lower concentrations than those of the parent substances but there are some exceptions (i.e., fipronil sulphide, fipronil sulfone and O-desmethylvenlafaxine). River concentrations are higher than those detected in groundwater for some CECs, indicating the occurrence of natural attenuation processes when river water infiltrates the aquifer. A data-based advection-reaction modelling is proposed and tested for ca. 40 substances with detection frequencies higher than 90%. It provides useful quantitative information regarding the dynamic behaviour of the variables monitored, expressed in terms of characteristic length, entropy and synchronized state contribution. Finally, risk quotients (RQs) are used to assess the human health risk posed by the ubiquitous CECs in groundwater. Most CECs do not pose any risk to the different life stages considered, as the RQs evaluated are lower than 0.01. However, the pharmaceuticals valsartan and its TP valsartan acid show RQs higher than 1, indicating that these substances might be harmful to human beings.

Functionalized magnetic nanostructured composites and hybrids for photocatalytic elimination of pharmaceuticals and personal care products

Due to rapid urbanization and globalization, an enormous use of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) has resulted their excessive release in water bodies leading to several environmental issues. This release into the environment takes place via household sewage, hospital effluents, manufacturing units and landfill sites etc. The pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are recently listed as emerging contaminants having many adverse effects towards aquatic life, human beings, and the whole ecosystem. The alarming threats of PPCPs demand efficient methods to cope up their hazardous impacts. The conventional wastewater remediations are not specifically designed for the removal of PPCPs and hence, they require advanced technologies and materials for their elimination to ensure water safety. Among various methods employed so far, photocatalysis is considered to be one of the most cost effective and eco-friendly method but it requires a suitable candidate as a photocatalyst. Thanks to the magnetic nanocomposites which have improved the limitations (poor stability, agglomeration, and difficult separation, etc.) of classically used nanomaterials. Magnetic nanocomposites contain at least one component having magnetic properties making their separation easy from the aqueous media after the photodegradation phenomenon. These can be further functionalized with other materials to obtain maximum advantage as photocatalyst. Few examples of such functionalized nanocomposites are inorganic material based magnetic nanocomposites, carbon based magnetic nanocomposites, biomaterial based magnetic nanocomposites, metal-organic framework based magnetic nanocomposites and polymer based magnetic nanocomposites etc. This review covers the global environmental issue of water pollution especially with respect to the PPCPs, their occurrence in aqueous environment and toxic effects on living beings. A comprehensive discussion of the recently reported functionalized magnetic nanocomposites for the photocatalytic removal of PPCPs from water is the main aim of this review. The synthetic/morphological approaches of various functionalized magnetic composites and their mechanism of action are also elaborated. The possible research challenges in the field of magnetic nanocomposites and future research directions are discussed to apply magnetic nanocomposites for wastewater treatment in near future.

Sonoelectrochemical oxidation of sulfamethoxazole in simulated and actual wastewater on a piezo-polarizable FTO/BaZr x Ti(1-x)O3 electrode: reaction kinetics, mechanism and reaction pathway studies

The sonoelectrochemical (SEC) oxidation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in simulated and actual wastewater on FTO/BaZr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9)O₃, FTO/BaZr_(0.05)Ti_(0.95)O₃ and FTO/BaTiO₃ electrodes is hereby presented. Electrodes from piezo-polarizable BaZr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9)O₃, BaZr_(0.05)Ti_(0.95)O₃, and BaTiO₃ materials were prepared by immobilizing these materials on fluorine-doped tin dioxide (FTO) glass. Electrochemical characterization performed on the electrodes using chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques revealed that the FTO/BaZr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9)O₃ anode displayed the highest sonocurrent density response of 2.33 mA cm^-2 and the lowest charge transfer resistance of 57 Ω. Compared to other electrodes, these responses signaled a superior mass transfer on the FTO/BaZr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9)O₃ anode occasioned by an acoustic streaming effect. Moreover, a degradation efficiency of 86.16% (in simulated wastewater), and total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency of 63.16% (in simulated wastewater) and 41.47% (in actual wastewater) were obtained upon applying the FTO/BaZr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9)O₃ electrode for SEC oxidation of SMX. The piezo-polarizable impact of the FTO/BaZr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9)O₃ electrode was further established by the higher rate constant obtained for the FTO/BaZr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9)O₃ electrode as compared to the other electrodes during SEC oxidation of SMX under optimum operational conditions. The piezo-potential effect displayed by the FTO/BaZr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9)O₃ electrode can be said to have impacted the generation of reactive species, with hydroxyl radicals playing a predominant role in the degradation of SMX in the SEC system. Additionally, a positive synergistic index obtained for the electrode revealed that the piezo-polarization effect of the FTO/BaZr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9)O₃ electrode activated during sonocatalysis combined with the electrochemical oxidation process during SEC oxidation can be advantageous for the decomposition of pharmaceuticals and other organic pollutants in water.

Constructed wetlands for the removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from wastewater: origin, impacts, treatment methods, and SWOT analysis

The continuous exposure to pharmaceuticals and personal care products can lead to a series of individual antagonistic and synergistic effects and long-lasting toxicity to humans and aquatic lives. This may also lead to developing antibiotic resistance, teratogenic, carcinogenic, and endocrine-disrupting effects. However, several PPCPs are also considered biologically active for non-target aquatic organisms, such as mosquito fish, goldfish, and the algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. Various physicochemical methods such as ozonation, photolysis, and membrane separation are recognized for the effective removal of PPCPs. However, the high operation and maintenance costs and associated ecological impacts have limited their further use. Constructed wetlands are considered eco-friendly and sustainable for the removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products together with antibiotic resistance genes. Several mechanisms such as sorption, biodegradation, oxidation, photodegradation, volatilization, and hydrolysis are occurring during the phytoremediation of PPCPs. During these processes, more than 50% of PPCPs can be eliminated through constructed wetlands. They also offer several additional benefits as obtained macrophytic biomass may be used as raw material in pulp and paper industries and a source for second-generation biofuel production. In this study, we have discussed the origin and impacts of PPCPs together with their treatment methods. We have also investigated the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with constructed wetlands during the treatment of wastewater laden with pharmaceutical and personal care products.

Multi-biomarker approach to evaluate the neurotoxic effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of phenytoin on adult zebrafish Danio rerio

Several studies have reported the presence of phenytoin (PHE) in wastewater treatment plant effluents, hospital effluents, surface water, and even drinking water. However, published studies on the toxic effects of PHE at environmentally relevant concentrations in aquatic organisms are scarce. The present study aimed to determine the effect of three environmentally relevant concentrations of PHE (25, 282, and 1500 ng L^-1) on behavioral parameters using the novel tank test. Moreover, we also aimed to determine whether or not these concentrations of PHE may impair acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and oxidative status in the brain of Danio rerio adults. Behavioral responses suggested an anxiolytic effect in PHE-exposed organisms, mainly observed in organisms exposed to 1500 ng L^-1, with a significant decrease in fish mobility and a significant increase in activity at the top of the tank. Besides the behavioral impairment, PHE-exposed fish also showed a significant increase in the levels of lipid peroxidation, hydroperoxides, and protein carbonyl content compared to the control group. Moreover, a significant increase in brain AChE levels was observed in fish exposed to 282 and 1500 ng L^-1. The results obtained in the present study show that PHE triggers a harmful response in the brain of fish, which in turn generates fish have an anxiety-like behavior.

Occurrence, health risk assessment and water quality criteria derivation of six personal care products (PCPs) in Huangpu River, China

Personal care products (PCPs) have shown adverse health effects on humans. However, their health risk associated with fish consumption and relevant water quality criteria are still not well documented. This study investigated the occurrence and health risk of six PCPs (triclosan, bisphenol-A, and four commonly used organic ultraviolet (UV) filters, i.e., homosalate (HMS), 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), oxybenzone (BP-3), and octocrylene (OC)). River water and three trophic levels of fish species were collected from Huangpu River in Shanghai. The concentration range of the six PCPs were 1.48-89.76 ng/L in water and 0.40-10.75 ng/g dry weight in fish. Estimated daily intake (EDI) and target hazard quotient (THQ) of the PCPs indicated that consuming these fish would not pose non-carcinogenic risks. The maximum allowable fish consumption rates ranged from 85 to 1760 and 155 to 3230 meals per month for children and adults, respectively. As to the four organic UV filters, it is the first time to report the fish consumption advisories. Finally, the human health ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) values of HMS, 4-MBC, BP-3, OC, TCS, and BPA (i.e., 0.1218, 0.7311, 0.3494, 0.0477, 235.8, and 154.7 μg/L, respectively) were proposed, and they can serve as a valuable technical reference for global development and revision of aquatic environmental quality standards for these emerging contaminants.

Occurrence and risk assessment of typical PPCPs and biodegradation pathway of ribavirin in wastewater treatment plants

A large number of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) persist in wastewater, and the consumption of PPCPs for COVID-19 control and prevention has sharply increased during the pandemic. This study investigated the occurrence, removal efficiency, and risk assessment of six typical PPCPs commonly used in China in two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Ribavirin (RBV) is an effective pharmaceutical for severely ill patients with COVID-19, and the possible biodegradation pathway of RBV by activated sludge was discovered. The experimental results showed that PPCPs were detected in two WWTPs with a detection rate of 100% and concentrations ranging between 612 and 2323 ng L^-1. The detection frequency and concentrations of RBV were substantially higher, with a maximum concentration of 314 ng L^-1. Relatively high pollution loads were found for the following PPCPs from influent: ibuprofen > ranitidine hydrochloride > RBV > ampicillin sodium > clozapine > sulfamethoxazole. The removal efficiency of PPCPs was closely related to adsorption and biodegradation in activated sludge, and the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) had a higher removal capacity than the anoxic-anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (AAAO) process. The removal efficiencies of sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin sodium, ibuprofen, and clozapine ranged from 92.21% to 97.86% in MBBR process and were relatively low, from 61.82% to 97.62% in AAAO process, and the removal of RBV and ranitidine hydrochloride were lower than 42.96% in both MBBR and AAAO processes. The discrepancy in removal efficiency is caused by temperature, hydrophilicity, and hydrophobicity of the compound, and acidity and alkalinity. The transformation products of RBV in activated sludge were detected and identified, and the biodegradation process of RBV could be speculated as follows: first breaks into TCONH₂ and an oxygen-containing five-membered heterocyclic ring under the nucleosidase reaction, and then TCONH₂ is finally formed into TCOOH through amide hydrolysis. Aquatic ecological risks based on risk quotient (RQ) assessment showed that PPCPs had high and medium risks in the influent, and the RQ values were all reduced after MBBR and AAAO treatment. Ranitidine hydrochloride and clozapine still showed high and medium risks in the effluent, respectively, and thus presented potential risks to the aquatic ecosystem.

Estimation of Unintended Treated Wastewater Contributions to Streams in the Yangtze River Basin and the Potential Human Health and Ecological Risk Analysis

"Clean water and sanitation" is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. One primary objective of wastewater treatment is to remove contaminants such as pathogens, nutrient, and organic matter from wastewater, while not all contaminants could be removed effectively. Wastewater treatment plants would inevitably represent concentrated point sources of residual contaminant loadings into surface waters. This study focuses on the populated Yangtze River Basin where emerging contaminants are frequently detected in the rivers in the recent years. A python-based ArcGIS model is developed to estimate the contributions of effluent discharges in water supply sources and quantify fate and environmental risks of human-derived contaminants in the river network. We find that one-third of the river networks are potentially influenced by the effluents through local or upstream inputs. Average fraction of unintended wastewater reuse in water supply intakes is estimated to be lower than 3% under the average flow scenario with an average traveling time of 0.05 day from the nearest effluent input site to water supply intakes. However, under low flow scenario, the percentage of effluent discharge would increase largely, leading to substantial increases in human health and ecological risks. This study provides a systematic investigation to understand extents of impacts of effluent inputs in river networks as well as identify the opportunities to improve the water management in the densely populated regions.

Estimates of Dietary Exposure to Antibiotics among a Community Population in East China

BACKGROUND

Antibiotics are widely used in clinics, livestock farms and the aquaculture industry. A variety of antibiotics in foods and drinking water may lead to important and inadvertent dietary exposure However, the profile of dietary exposure to antibiotics in humans is not well-explored. East China is an economically developed area with a high usage of antibiotics and a high rate of antibiotic resistance (ABR). This study aimed to evaluate the total intake level of antibiotics in humans via foods and drinking water based on a community population in East China.

METHODS

A total of 600 local residents from 194 households were recruited into this study in Deqing County of Zhejiang Province since June 2019. Each subject was asked to fill a food frequency questionnaire to report their daily consumption of foods and drinking water. Tap water samples were collected from ten households and twenty-one antibiotics of five categories were selected to detect in drinking water. Data of antibiotic residues in animal-derived foods were obtained from the notification of unqualified edible agricultural products after special supervision sampling inspection in Deqing County. The human dietary exposure to antibiotics was estimated by combining the data of antibiotic contamination in foods and drinking water, and the information of dietary consumption.

RESULTS

Of twenty-one antibiotics selected, subjects were exposed to a total of sixteen antibiotics, ranging from 15.12 to 1128 μg/day via two main dietary routes (animal-derived foods and drinking water). The overall dietary exposure level varied greatly in the antibiotics detected and their sources. Compared with other antibiotics, enrofloxacin made the most contributions in terms of dietary exposure, with a median exposure level of 120.19 μg/day (IQR: 8.39-698.78 μg/day), followed by sulfamethazine (median: 32.95 μg/day, IQR: 2.77-162.55 μg/day) and oxytetracycline (median: 28.50 μg/day, IQR: 2.22-146.58 μg/day). The estimated exposure level via drinking water (at the ng/day level, median: 26.74 ng/day, IQR: 16.05-37.44 ng/day) was significantly and substantially lower than those via animal-derived foods (at the μg/day level, median: 216.38 μg/day, IQR: 87.52-323.00 μg/day). The overall dietary exposure level also showed differences in sex and age. Males and youths were more likely to be exposed to antibiotics via dietary routes than others.

CONCLUSIONS

The community population investigated in East China was extensively exposed to multiple antibiotics via dietary routes. Long-term exposure to low-dose antibiotics in animal-derived foods was the primary dietary exposure route, compared with drinking water. Enrofloxacin contributed to the major body burden of dietary exposure, based on the combination of consumption of aquatic products and considerable enrofloxacin residues in them. Although the human dietary exposure level to antibiotics via drinking water and animal-derived foods ranged from ng/day to μg/L, their chronic toxicity and the accumulation and spread of ABR may be potential hazards to humans. Therefore, long-term monitoring of antibiotic contaminations in foods and drinking water, and human dietary antibiotic exposure is warranted.

New insights into thiamphenicol biodegradation mechanism by Sphingomonas sp. CL5.1 deciphered through metabolic and proteomic analysis

Biological treatment is an efficient and economical process to remove thiamphenicol (TAP) residues from the environment. The discovery of TAP-degrading bacteria and the decryption of its biodegradation mechanism will be beneficial to enhance the biological removal of TAP. In this study, Sphingomonas sp. CL5.1 was found to be capable of catabolizing TAP as the sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. This strain could degrade 93.9% of 25 mg/L TAP in 36 h, and remove about 11.9% of the total organic carbon of TAP. A novel metabolism pathway of TAP was constructed, and the enzymes involved in TAP metabolism in strain CL5.1 were predicted via proteomic and metabolic analysis. TAP was proposed to be transformed to O-TAP via oxidation of C₃-OH and DD-TAP via dehydration of C₃-OH and dehydrogenation of C₁-OH. A novel glucose-methanol-choline (GMC) family oxidoreductase CapO was predicted to be involved in the oxidation of C₃-OH. O-TAP was supposed to be further cleaved into DCA, glycine, and PMB. Glycine might be a pivotal direct nitrogen source for strain CL5.1, and it could be involved in nitrogen metabolism through the glycine cleavage system or directly participate in the biosynthetic processes.

Occurrence, source apportionment and potential risks of selected PPCPs in groundwater used as a source of drinking water from key urban-rural settings of Pakistan

BACKGROUND

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are emerging contaminants that have been extensively used in present time to improve the living standards. Their persistence in water resources due to various anthropogenic sources such as wastewater treatment plants, pharmaceutical industries, and runoff from agricultural and livestock farms has not only threaten aquatic life but their occurrence in groundwater has also raised concerns related to humans' wellbeing.

METHODS

Considering this as a neglected area of research in Pakistan, a systematic monitoring study was designed to investigate their occurrence, sources, and potential environmental and human health risks in groundwater from urban-rural areas of six cities. Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze the collected samples preceded by solid-phase extraction.

RESULTS

Overall, 8 out of 11 selected PPCPs were detected in groundwater samples with detection frequency ranging from 5.5-65%. Their concentrations ranged from below limit of detection (<LOD) to 1961 ng/L. The overall mean concentrations of detected PPCPs were found below 100 ng/L. The highest mean concentration was reported for Ibuprofen (154 ng/L) in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Results of PCA-MLR revealed that domestic wastewater discharge (76.4%) was the dominant source contributing to PPCPs contamination in groundwater. Followed by mixed source (pharmaceutical & hospital waste) 17.8%, and rural discharge/animal husbandry 5.8%. No appreciable risk to human health upon exposure to detected PPCPs via drinking water was anticipated. However, environmental risk assessment indicated moderate risk posed to P. subcapitata (RQ = 0.98) and D. magna (RQ = 0.2) by ibuprofen.

CONCLUSION

The current study reports the first evidence of PPCPs occurrence in groundwater in Pakistan. Reporting their occurrence in groundwater is a fundamental initial step to inform public-health decisions concerning sewage systems and drinking water quality. Hence, comprehensive monitoring programs are required to further investigate contamination of emerging contaminants in groundwater and their associated risks.

Simple and Rapid Detection of Ibuprofen─A Typical Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products─by a Liquid Crystal Aptasensor

This work established a liquid crystal (LC) aptasensor for simple and rapid detection of ibuprofen, a typical pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) pollutant. A negatively charged DNA aptamer specific for ibuprofen and a positively charged amphiphilic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), were incubated with the sample and then directly added onto the LC interface. In the presence of ibuprofen, the specific binding of ibuprofen with the DNA aptamer will release CTAB, which then adsorbed at the LC-aqueous interface and induced the orientational change of LCs to homeotropic orientation with a dark optical signal output. While in the absence of ibuprofen, the DNA aptamer binds with CTAB through hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, LCs remained in the planar orientation with a bright optical signal output. This LC aptasensor also has good specificity for ibuprofen and can even detect ibuprofen drug in tap water. Moreover, the response time of the LC aptasensor is fast in minutes. Additionally, this LC aptasensor benefits in monitoring the water quality and inspires the exploration of a general platform for PPCPs detection.

Pharmaceuticals in drinking water sources and tap water in a city in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River: occurrence, spatiotemporal distribution, and risk assessment

The occurrence of ten target pharmaceuticals was investigated in drinking water sources and tap water in a city in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, including erythromycin (ERY), roxithromycin (RTM), ciprofloxacin (CPX), ofloxacin (OFX), sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline (TC), ibuprofen (IBF), and naproxen (NPX). And the corresponding ecological risk for three classes of aquatic organisms and human health risk for different life stages were estimated. Results demonstrated that nine pharmaceuticals except for TC were detected with the frequencies of 20-100% and the concentrations of <LOQ-118.60 ng/L in drinking water sources. Only SMX and IBF were detected quantitatively with the highest concentrations of 0.69 ng/L and 1.28 ng/L in tap water, respectively. The concentrations of the target pharmaceuticals were lower than or comparable with those in other drinking water systems. The spatiotemporal variations of the target pharmaceuticals might be mainly attributed to their usage object, emission amount, and natural attenuation. The overall discrepancy of concentrations between drinking water sources and tap water might indicate the purification effect of drinking water treatment system. Individual pharmaceutical in drinking water resources posed negligible risks to invertebrate and fish; however, ERY, CPX, OFX, and SMX posed high risk to algae. Moreover, pharmaceutical exposure by tap water caused no risk to human health. Nevertheless, the long-term, chronic, and mixed risks of pharmaceuticals and the potential risk of antibiotic-resistant genes should be concerned. This study enriches environmental monitoring data of pharmaceuticals in drinking water sources and tap water, and provides scientific information for emerging pollutants management in drinking water system.

Critical review on hazardous pollutants in water environment: Occurrence, monitoring, fate, removal technologies and risk assessment

Water is required for the existence of all living things. Water pollution has grown significantly, over the decades and now it has developed as a serious worldwide problem. The presence and persistence of Hazardous pollutants such as dyes, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, heavy metals, fertilizer and pesticides and their transformed products are the matter of serious environmental and health concerns. A variety of approaches have been tried to clean up water and maintain water quality. The type of pollutants present in the water determines the bulk of technological solutions. The main objective of this article was to review the occurrences and fate of hazardous contaminants (dyes, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, heavy metals, and pesticides) found in wastewater effluents. These effluents mingle with other streams of water and that are utilized for a variety of reasons such as irrigation and other domestic activities that is further complicating the issue. It also discussed traditional treatment approaches as well as current advances in hazardous pollutants removal employing graphite oxides, carbon nanotubes, metal organic structures, magnetic nano composites, and other innovative forms of useable materials. It also discussed the identification and quantification of harmful pollutants using various approaches, as well as current advancements. Finally, a risk assessment of hazardous pollutants in water is provided in terms of the human health and the environment. This data is anticipated to serve as a foundation for future improvements in hazardous pollutant risk assessment. Furthermore, future studies on hazardous pollutants must not only emphasize on the parent chemicals, as well as on their possible breakdown products in various media.

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in bottled water and assessment of the associated risks

The occurrence of 187 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) was investigated in bottled water samples (35 and 33 from Chinese and foreign brands, respectively). Forty-four compounds belonging to 14 PPCP categories were detected in 56 of the 68 bottled water samples. Further, more than 35% of water samples contained at least three PPCPs, and in one particular sample, 11 different PPCPs were detected. Macrolides constituted the most prevalent PPCP category, and salbutamol, erythromycin, and azithromycin showed the highest detection frequency (17.6%). The thermal stabilities of the 187 PPCPs were determined, and the results obtained showed that only 35 out of the 187 compounds were degraded by more than 50% after boiling for 5 min. Even though the risk quotients (RQs) of detected PPCPs showed low risk levels, the RQs of 13 compounds with RQs ≥ 0.0001 were 2-4 fold higher in infants than in other life stages. Moreover, further studies are necessary to evaluate the toxicity of PPCP mixtures, the effects of PPCPs on human intestinal microbiota, and their risk of induction of drug-resistant bacteria and drug-resistant genes.

Ecotoxicological effects, environmental fate and risks of pharmaceutical and personal care products in the water environment: A review

Due to the extensive use and incomplete removal, pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) are introduced into the water continuously. It has been proved that the unique properties of PPCPs are influential to organisms and the environment, and gradually affect human health. In this paper, the toxicological effects of typical PPCPs, and the environmental behavior of PPCPs in aquatic are reviewed. The risk assessments of PPCPs in the water are summarized. The research directions of environmental toxicology research of PPCPs in the future are proposed. Many PPCPs were found to be toxic or even highly toxic toward aquatic organisms, and have the potential for bioaccumulation. It is essential to study the acute and long-term toxicity of PPCPs and their metabolites, evaluate the environmental behaviors and make a reasonable assessment of ecotoxicology and human health risks of PPCPs.

Development of a QuEChERS-based method for the analysis of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in lettuces grown in field-scale agricultural plots irrigated with reclaimed water

The use of reclaimed water for agricultural irrigation is an increasingly common practice, which recently has found its own European regulatory frame. However, the partial removal of organic contaminants together with other xenobiotic substances in current wastewater treatment plants leads to the occurrence of residues of such pollutants in the treated effluents. Wastewater reclamation techniques are thus required to provide reclaimed water fitting the minimum quality standards set up for irrigation of crops intended for human consumption. This work describes the development and validation of a simple QuEChERS-based extraction and liquid chromatography quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-QqLIT-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of 55 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in lettuces irrigated with treated wastewater and reclaimed water. The method showed good recovery rates (80-120%) and low detection limits (0.04-0.8 ng/g dw). In comparison with previous analytical methodologies, this method was simpler, faster and, in most cases, more sensitive. Moreover, is the first one analysing selected personal care products in lettuces. The proposed method was applied to assess the potential transfer of contaminants of urban origin in the use of reclaimed water in agriculture. The case study consisted in the evaluation of the lettuce uptake of the selected contaminants at field scale under two irrigation systems, two soil compositions, and two water types. Benzophenone-2, 4-hydroxybenzophenone, 1H-benzotriazole, 2-(2-Benzotriazol-2-yl)-p-cresol, nalidixic acid, diclofenac, carbamazepine 10,11-epoxy, N-des-methylvenlafaxine, and salicylic acid were transferred to all samples. Highest detected values corresponded to 4-hydroxybenzophenone (84.1 ng/g dw), benzophenone-2 (54.4 ng/g dw), and salicylic acid (53.8 ng/g dw). The best combination to minimize the transfer of the target contaminants from the irrigation water to the lettuces was sprinkling irrigation with water reclaimed by soil infiltration through reactive barriers, and clayey soil.

Sulfadiazine removal using green zero-valent iron nanoparticles: A low-cost and eco-friendly alternative technology for water remediation

In this work, the effectiveness of green zero-valent iron nanoparticles (gnZVIs) for the removal of the antibiotic sulfadiazine (SDZ) from water via adsorption and reduction was tested. Additionally, the effectiveness of this material as a catalyst for the Fenton and photo-Fenton processes was also investigated. This represents the first study concerning the use of gnZVIs for the degradation of a sulfonamide antibiotic. The results obtained indicate that gnZVIs were able to remove up to 58% of SDZ via adsorption and up to 69% via adsorption plus reduction using a SDZ/Fe³⁺ molar ratio of 1:61.6. Furthermore, gnZVIs showed strong effectiveness as a catalyst for the Fenton and photo-Fenton reactions, with complete SDZ removal in 8 h and 5 min, respectively, using a SDZ/Fe³⁺/H₂O₂ molar ratio of 1:38.4:38.4. These results demonstrate that the use of gnZVIs constitutes an attractive and potential alternative technology for water remediation, reducing environmental impact and operational costs.

Organic farming: Does it contribute to contaminant-free produce and ensure food safety?

Organic farming for higher ecological and human health benefits has been adopted in about 186 countries, covering a total area of 71.5 Mha worldwide. Because of the associated practices, the flows of several environmental pollutants into the organic products threaten food safety and human health. The contaminants that occur at higher concentrations in organic produce include persistent organic pollutants (61.3-436.9 ng g^-1 lamb meat, and 0.28 pg g^-1-2.75 ng g^-1 bovine meat), heavy metals (0.5-33.0 mg kg^-1 lettuce), organochlorine pesticides (11-199 μg g^-1 carrots), cyclodienes, hexachlorocyclohexanes, hexabromocyclododecane (2-3 times higher than in conventionally produced porcine meat), hexachlorobenzene (1.38-14.49 ng g^-1 fat in milk), and non-brominated flame retardants (1.3-3.2 times higher than in conventional produce of greenhouse-grown tomato and cucumber). Moreover, some pollutants like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances with a longer half-life (1.50-9.10 yrs) are reported to occur in several organic products. In fact, several legacy persistent organic pollutants are known for their significant trophic magnification in an urban terrestrial ecosystem. In addition, many plant functionalities are adversely affected in organic farming. Therefore, the long-term usage of organic products containing such pollutants poses a significant threat to human health. The major limitation in organic livestock production is the severe shortage of organic feed. Several variable standards and technical regulations set by the government and private agencies are the major obstacles in the global marketing of organic products. The present review critically addresses the impact of organic farming on hidden risks due to the use of composts as the amendment resources that enhance the phytoaccumulation and trophic transfer of pollutants, the functional diversity of the ecosystems, and poor harmonization among the policies and regulations in different countries for organic farming. The future directions of research have been suggested to mitigate unintended flows of pollutants into the organic products.

A review of antiepileptic drugs: Part 1 occurrence, fate in aquatic environments and removal during different treatment technologies

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are the main treatment for people with epilepsy. However, in recent years, more and more people are using them for other indications such as: migraine, chronic neuropathic pain, and mood disorders. Consequently, the prescriptions and consumption of these drugs are increasing worldwide. In WWTPs, AEDs can resist degradation processes, such as photodegradation, chemical degradation and/or biodegradation. Until now, only constructed wetlands and photocatalysis have shown good removal rates of AEDs from wastewater. However, their effectiveness depends on the specific conditions used during the treatment. Since the consumption of AEDs has increased in the last decade and their degradation in WWTPs is poor, these drugs have been largely introduced into the environment through the discharge of municipal and/or hospital effluents. Once in the environment, AEDs are distributed in the water phase, as suspended particles or in the sediments, suggesting that these drugs have a high potential for groundwater contamination. In this first part of the AEDs review is designed to fill out the current knowledge gap about the occurrence, fate and removal of these drugs in the aquatic environment. This is a review that emphasizes the characteristics of AEDs as emerging contaminants.

Occurrence and ecological risk assessment of PPCPs in typical inflow rivers of Taihu lake, China

The occurrence and ecological risks of ten typical pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) at 12 typical inflow rivers of Taihu lake was investigated in this study. Seven out of the ten typical PPCPs targeted were detected in all the water samples and sediment samples tested. The PPCPs concentration detected were 0-94.91 ng/L for water samples and 0-18.27 ng/g for sediment samples. Sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) and erythromycin (ERY) has relatively higher concentration than other PPCPs in surface water samples, ciprofloxacin (CIP) and ofloxacin (OFX) has relatively higher concentration in the sediment samples. Inflow river-Caoqiao river has a relatively highest contamination of TN and TP, the PPCPs concentration in the river channel, estuary, lake-body also shows high value. This occurs in both the surface water and sediment sample, implied a relatively high pollution input from Caoqiao river. SMZ holds high long-term ecological risks in both surface water and sediment of almost all the tested inflow rivers of Taihu lake. Only ERY has medium short-term risks in surface water, other analyzed PPCPs hold low or insignificant short-terms risks for both surface water and sediments. This study fills the gap of PPCPs ecological risk of surface water and sediment of 12 typical inflow rivers of Taihu Lake, and revealed the importance of control sulfanilamide of the economic belt around Taihu Lake. The results of the present study are useful in providing information for PPCPs control and sustainable water management in freshwater lakes.

Distribution, abundance, and risk assessment of selected antibiotics in a shallow freshwater body used for drinking water, China

With rapid improvements in industrialization and urbanization, antibiotics are now extensively used to prevent and treat human and animal diseases and husbandry and aquaculture. Some research has been conducted to assess the environmental distribution and risk level of antibiotics, but their distribution remains largely uncharacterized. Thus, this study investigated the distribution and abundance of 39 antibiotics belonging to five groups, and their associated risks in surface water around Luoma Lake in the north of Jiangsu province, China. Nineteen antibiotics were detected, at a detection frequency (DF) ranging from 2.27% to 100%. The total antibiotics (ΣABs) concentrations ranged from 34.91 to 825.93 ng/L, with a median concentration of 195.45 ng/L. Among these antibiotics, chlortetracycline (DF: 100%; median: 172.02 ng/L) was the dominant antibiotic, accounting for a median percentage of 91.0% of ΣABs concentrations. Spearman rank correlation method found a significant correlation between clindamycin (DF: 72.7%; median: 2.01 ng/L) and lincomycin (DF: 79.5%; median: 4.58 ng/L). The ecological risk quotient (RQ) values for two out of 44 sampling sites were higher than 1, indicating a high risk; 11.4% of the RQ values fell between 0.1 and 1, indicating a medium risk. Moreover, roxithromycin was found to be the dominant contributor to the ecological risk, accounting for a median of 79.7% of ΣABs. However, the total non-carcinogenic (<6.54 × 10^-4) and carcinogenic risks (<1.64 × 10^-7) of ΣABs were negligible at the detected concentrations.

Antibiotics in the surface water of Shanghai, China: screening, distribution, and indicator selecting

The widespread existence of antibiotics has caused inevitable influence on ecology and humans. In this study, we screened the most commonly used antibiotics, and 64 antibiotics were detected in Shanghai, an international metropolis. Most of the target substances were detected in all 46 water samples including main rivers and districts in Shanghai, with concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 502.43 ng L^-1. In particular, sulfadiazine (502.43 ng L^-1) had the highest maximum concentration. Besides, risk quotients based on fish suggested that sulfonamides had a medium risk (0.12) in Shanghai. Correlation studies had shown that most compounds with frequencies exceeding 60% were significantly positively correlated with the total concentration. Based on further analysis, sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, and sulfapyridine were screened as indicators to reflect the pollution status of antibiotics in Shanghai for a long time. The screening conditions for these indicators include detection rate (> 60%), maximum concentration (> 100 ng L^-1), RQ (> 0.01), and correlation (> 0). In addition, population density may be the main factor for antibiotic pollution through regional comparison. In a word, this work can systematically reflect the overall situation of Shanghai antibiotics and provide support for global data comparison in the future. Meanwhile, we provided the potential indicators that can be applied in the long term and economical monitoring of antibiotics.

Environmental Distribution of Personal Care Products and Their Effects on Human Health

Personal care products (PCPs) are generally used for personal hygiene, cleaning, grooming, and beautification. These include hair and skin care products, baby care products, UV blocking creams, facial cleansers, insect repellents, perfumes, fragrances, soap, detergents, shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste, etc., thus exposing humans easily. Personal preferences related to PCPs usage frequency are highly variable and depend on socioeconomic status and lifestyle factors. The increasing availability and diversity of PCPs from the retailer outlets consequently result in higher loading of PCPs into wastewater systems and, therefore, the environment. These compounds persistently and continuously release biologically active and inactive ingredients in the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and demonstrating adverse effects on human, wild, and marine life. Advanced techniques such as granular activated carbon filtration and algae-based system may help biotransformation and remove PCP contaminants from water with improved efficiency. Additionally, harmony among PCPs related regulations of different countries may encourage standard checks to control their manufacturing, sale, and distribution across the borders to ensure consumers' safety. Furthermore, all intended ingredients, their concentrations, and instructions for frequency of use as per age groups may be clearly labeled on packages of PCPs. In conclusion, the emerging environmental contaminants of PCPs and their association with the growing risks of negative effects on human health and globally on the environment emphasize the chemical-free simple lifestyle.