Assessment of the health risks related to the presence of drug residues in water for human consumption: Application to carbamazepine

An Overview of the Impact of Pharmaceuticals on Aquatic Microbial Communities

Pharmaceuticals are present as pollutants in several ecosystems worldwide. Despite the reduced concentrations at which they are detected, their negative impact on natural biota constitutes a global concern. The consequences of pharmaceuticals' presence in water sources and food have been evaluated with a higher detail for human health. However, although most of the pharmaceuticals detected in the environment had not been designed to act against microorganisms, it is of utmost importance to understand their impact on the environmental native microbiota. Microbial communities can suffer serious consequences from the presence of pharmaceuticals as pollutants in the environment, which may directly impact public health and ecosystem equilibrium. Among this class of pollutants, the ones that have been studied in more detail are antibiotics. This work aims to provide an overview of the impacts of different pharmaceuticals on environmental biofilms, more specifically in biofilms from aquatic ecosystems and engineered water systems. The alterations caused in the biofilm function and characteristics, as well as bacteria antimicrobial tolerance and consequently the associated risks for public health, are also reviewed. Despite the information already available on this topic, the need for additional data urges the assessment of emerging pollutants on microbial communities and the potential public health impacts.

Sulfidogenic fluidized-bed bioreactor kinetics for co-treatment of hospital wastewater and acid mine drainage

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Bioremediation process for acidic mine water co-treatment with hospital wastewater.

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Metal precipitation reached 98% and soluble concentrations of Fe and Zn were less than 0.1 mg/l.

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SO₄²⁻ removal was above 90% in the sulfidogenic bioreactor.

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Naproxen, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and diclofenac partially removed during the co-treatment process.

A passive co-treatment of acid mine drainage and hospital wastewater previously demonstrated a promising bioremediation viable approach for both toxic streams. The study of inhibition kinetics and microbial communities is essential to understand better the diverse species and the reaction mechanisms within the system. The kinetics and microbiology diversity in the sulfidogenic fluidized-bed reactor (at 30 °C) for co-treatment of hospital wastewater and metal-containing acidic water were examined. The alkalinity from organic oxidation raised the pH of the effluent from 2.3 to 6.1–8.2. Michaelis-Menten modeling yielded (K_m =7.3 mg/l, V_max = 0.12 mg/l min⁻¹) in the batch bioreactor treatment using sulfate-reducing bacteria. For COD oxidation, the dissolved sulfide inhibition constant (K_i) was 3.6 mg/l, and the K_i value for H₂S was 9 mg/l. The dominant species in the treatment process belong to the Proteobacteria group (especially Deltaproteobacteria). The ibuprofen and diclofenac compounds achieved the highest removal rates in the bioreactor of 58.6% and 52.3%, respectively; while, ketoprofen and naproxen of 41.9% and 46.6%, respectively. The findings in COD kinetics, sulfate-reducing bacteria abundance, and selected pharmaceutical concentration reduction provide insight into this co-treatment process's capability.

Irrigation using hybrid constructed wetland treated domestic sewage: Uptake of phthalic acid esters and antibiotics by Ipomoea aquatica forssk

Irrigation with treated wastewater (WW) has been promoted to meet global water demands. This study investigates the occurrence and accumulation of targeted phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and antibiotics in soil and Ipomoea aquatica Forssk. irrigated with WW discharged from six hybrid constructed wetlands (HCWs), with evaluation of the associated human health risks. Results revealed that HCWs can effectively reduce the transfer of PAEs and antibiotics to soil and I. aquatica. HCW2 (VF-SF-HF) was found to be most efficient for the removal of PAEs (68.4%-95.3%) and antibiotics (28.5%-99.4%). Among the targeted PAEs, the concentration of bis (2-ethyl) hexylphthalate (DEHP) was the highest in irrigation water, soil and I. aquatica, while benzylphthalate (BBP) exhibited the highest bioconcentration factor (BCF_F). Among the targeted antibiotics, the concentration of sulfapyridine (SPD) was highest in various environmental media, while norfloxacin (NFX) exhibited the highest BCF_F. The properties of PAEs and antibiotics were found to be responsible for the differential uptake patterns. The estimation of the threshold of toxicological concern and hazard quotient showed that I. aquatica irrigated with HCWs treated wastewater presented a minor risk to human health. However, comprehensive safety evaluation is required for the widespread use of HCWs treated wastewater for irrigation purposes.

Effects of Carbamazepine in Bivalves: A Review

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is among the ten most frequent pharmaceuticals that occur in the aquatic systems, with known effects on inhabiting organisms, including bivalves. Bivalves are important species in coastal ecosystems, often exhibiting a dominant biomass within invertebrate communities. These organisms play a major role in the functioning of the ecosystem and particularly in food webs (as suspension-feeders) and represent a significant fraction of the fisheries resource. They also have strong interactions with the environment, water and sediment and are considered good bioindicator species. The present paper reviews the known literature on the impacts of CBZ in biological endpoints of marine bivalves exposed to environmentally and non-environmentally relevant concentrations, highlighting differences in terms of biological responses, associated with exposure period, concentrations tested, and species used. Overall, the literature available showed that CBZ induces individual and sub-individual effects in marine bivalves (adults and life stages) and the most common effect reported was the induction of oxidative stress.

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments: A review and potential impacts in South Africa

The carbon footprint of pharmaceuticals through manufacturing, distribution, the incineration of unwanted pharmaceuticals as well as the packaging of pharmaceutical waste is an emerging and enormous challenge. Pharmaceuticals are major contributors to water pollution in aquatic environments that include surface water and groundwater. These pollutants arise not only from waste products but also from pharmaceutical products that have not been properly disposed of. The continuous exposure to unspecified sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics presents risks to humans and other animals. Due to their extensive use and incomplete elimination, antibiotics have been detected in various environmental waters. The persistence of antibiotics in the environment and chronic exposure of organisms to these chemical stressors has also proven to have ecotoxicological effects. The prevailing emergence of antimicrobial resistance amongst bacteria is an area of primary concern, especially with regard to the release of antibiotics into the environment. Resistance is the acquired ability of bacterial populations to render an antibiotic ineffective as a result of a change in bacterial DNA which occurs when bacteria are subjected to an antibiotic concentration that will not kill them. A sub-lethal concentration possibly exerts a selective pressure that can result in the development of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. It is clear that there is a need for extensive research to improve regulations and guidance on pharmaceutical waste management, pharmaceutical take-back programmes and consumer awareness.

Capacity of Two Ornamental Species (Iris sibirica and Zantedeschia aethiopica) to Take up, Translocate, and Accumulate Carbamazepine under Hydroponic Conditions

Iris sibirica and Zantedeschia aethiopica are ornamental species that have previously been used in pilot-scale treatment wetlands (TWs) focused on the removal of carbamazepine (CBZ), in which good results were obtained; however, the plant influence was not completely determined. In addition, plant uptake has been reported to play a crucial role in CBZ removal in comparison to other mechanisms. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of I. sibirica and Z. aethiopica to take up, translocate, and accumulate CBZ in hydroponic conditions using a nutrient solution spiked with the drug. The maximum CBZ tolerance threshold for the two species was found to be 10 mg/L, which was used to carry out the uptake experiments. The results showed a better performance of I. sibirica compared to Z. aethiopica reaching 31.1% and 20.9% of removal efficiency, respectively. The parent compound accumulated mainly on the leaves of both species. Furthermore, a high proportion of the CBZ taken up by the plants (up to 70%) was metabolized by both species. The performance of the two species suggests the importance of plant harvesting in TWs in order to promote CBZ removal and indicates the need for future works.

Application of new statistical distribution approaches for environmental mixture risk assessment: A case study

OBJECTIVES

There is growing evidence that single substances present below their individual thresholds of effect may still contribute to combined effects. In component-based mixture risk assessment (MRA), the risks can be addressed using information on the mixture components. This is, however, often hampered by limited availability of ecotoxicity data. Here, the possible use of ecotoxicological threshold concentrations of no concern (i.e. 5th percentile of statistical distribution of ecotoxicological values) is investigated to fill data gaps in MRA.

METHODS

For chemicals without available aquatic toxicity data, ecotoxicological threshold concentrations of no concern have been derived from Predicted No Effect Concentration (PNEC) distributions and from chemical toxicity distributions, using the EnviroTox tool, with and without considering the chemical mode of action. For exposure, chemical monitoring data from European rivers have been used to illustrate four realistic co-exposure scenarios. Based on those monitoring data and available ecotoxicity data or threshold concentrations when no data were available, Risk Quotients for individual chemicals were calculated, to then derive a mixture Risk Quotient (RQmix).

RESULTS

A risk was identified in two of the four scenarios. Threshold concentrations contribute from 24 to 95% of the whole RQmix; thus they have a large impact on the predicted mixture risk. Therefore they could only be used for data gap filling for a limited number of chemicals in the mixture. The use of mode of action information to derive more specific threshold values could be a helpful refinement in some cases.

Organic Microcontaminants in Tomato Crops Irrigated with Reclaimed Water Grown under Field Conditions: Occurrence, Uptake, and Health Risk Assessment

In many regions, reuse of reclaimed water (RW) is a necessity for irrigation. The presence of organic microcontaminants (OMCs) in RW and their translocation to plants may represent a risk of human exposure. Nevertheless, information available about real field crops is scarce and focused on a limited number of compounds. The novelty of this work relies on the application of a wider-scope analytical approach based on a multianalyte target analysis (60 compounds) and a suspect screening (>1300 compounds). This methodology was applied to real field-grown tomato crops irrigated with RW. The study revealed the presence of 17 OMCs in leaves (0.04-32 ng g^-1) and 8 in fruits (0.01-1.1 ng g^-1), 5 of them not reported before in real field samples. A health-risk assessment, based on the toxicological threshold concern (TTC) concept, showed that RW irrigation applied under the conditions given does not pose any threat to humans.

Identification of transformation products of carbamazepine in lettuce crops irrigated with Ultraviolet-C treated water

Transformation of organic microcontaminants (OMCs) during wastewater treatments results in the generation of transformation products (TPs), which can be more persistent than parent compounds. Due to reuse of reclaimed wastewater (RWW) for crop irrigation, OMCs and TPs are released in soils being capable to translocate to crops. Furthermore, OMCs are also susceptible to transformation once they reach the soil or crops. The recalcitrant antiepileptic carbamazepine (CBZ) and some of its frequently reported TPs have been found in agricultural systems. However, there is no knowledge about the fate in reuse practices of multiple CBZ TPs that can be formed during wastewater treatment processes. For the first time, this work presents a study of the behavior of CBZ TPs generated after a conventional Ultraviolet-C (UVC) treatment in an agricultural environment. The UVC-treated water was used for the irrigation of lettuces grown under controlled conditions. The latter was compared to the fate of TPs generated in the peat and plant by irrigation with non-treated water containing CBZ. A suspect screening strategy was developed to identify the TPs using liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight (LC-QTOF-MS). The results revealed the presence of 24 TPs, 22 in UVC-treated water, 11 in peat and 9 in lettuce leaves. 4 of the TPs identified in peat (iminostilbene, TP 271B, TP 285A-B); and 3 in leaves (10-11 dihydrocarbamazepine, TP 271A-B) were not previously reported in soils or edible parts of crops, respectively. Comparing the TPs found in peat and lettuces derived from both irrigation conditions, no significant differences regarding TPs formation or occurrence were observed. UVC treatment did not contribute to the formation of different TPs than those generated by transformation or metabolism of CBZ in peat or plant material. This research improves the current knowledge on the fate of CBZ TPs in agricultural systems because of reuse practices.

Experiments and numerical simulation on the degradation processes of carbamazepine and triclosan in surface water: A case study for the Shahe Stream, South China

We examined the occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in surface water by combining laboratory experiments with numerical simulations. The degradation processes of two typical PPCPs (triclosan and carbamazepine) collected from the Shahe Stream were studied. Hydrolysis, biodegradation, and photolysis were the three major routes of triclosan (TCS) and carbamazepine (CBZ) degradation. A central composite design method was used to investigate the effects of related natural parameters (including pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, light intensity, and humic acid) on the TCS and CBZ degradation processes in the laboratory. Our results showed that the main degradation pathway of CBZ and TCS was direct photolysis during the daytime and that the maximal biodegradation rates of CBZ and TCS occurred at 22 °C when the optimum temperature function was used. Based on our experimental results, the observed degradation of CBZ and TCS followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the degradation kinetic equations under the influence of multiple natural parameters were established with estimated average degradation rate constants of 1.2452E-7 s^-1 and 3.1260E-5 s^-1 for CBZ and TCS, respectively. The degradation rate constants were incorporated into a one-dimensional, simply integrated hydrodynamic and water quality model. The proposed numerical model was applied to depict the transportation and transformation of CBZ and TCS in surface water and was validated by observational data from the Shahe Stream. The results showed that our model reproduced the observed patterns of CBZ and TCS concentrations reasonably, with slight overestimations compared to the observed data; the relative errors between the simulated and the observed concentrations were 5.85%-6.82% for CBZ and -156.85%--7.18% for TCS. According to our simulation, the spatial distribution of TCS in surface water was determined by biochemical degradation processes that were most affected by temperature under natural conditions; in contrast, the distribution of CBZ was largely controlled by diffusion.

Tailoring the textural properties of an activated carbon for enhancing its adsorption capacity towards diclofenac from aqueous solution

A series of activated carbons (ACs) were prepared by modifying a commercial AC by physical activation using CO₂ during different activation times. The ACs were designated as F, F12, F24, and F40 corresponding to the activation times of 0, 12, 24, and 40 h, respectively. The surface area, total pore volume, micropore volume, and mean micropore width were determined for all the ACs. The textural properties of the modified ACs increased substantially with the activation time, and the capacity of the ACs for adsorbing diclofenac (DCF) was almost linearly dependent upon the surface area of the ACS. The maximum adsorption capacities of F, F12, F24, and F40 carbons towards diclofenac (DCF) from aqueous solution were 271, 522, 821, and 1033 mg/g, respectively. Hence, the adsorption capacities of ACs were considerably enhanced with the activation time, and F12, F24, and F40 carbons presented the highest adsorption capacities towards DCF reported in the technical literature. The F40 adsorption capacity was at least twice those of other carbon materials. The adsorption capacities decreased by raising the pH from 7 to 11 due to electrostatic repulsion between the ACs surface and anionic DCF in solution. The removal of DCF from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent was effectively carried out by adsorption on F40. Hence, the capacity of ACs for adsorbing DCF can be optimized by tailoring the porous structure of ACs.

Uptake of pharmaceuticals by sorbent-amended struvite fertilisers recovered from human urine and their bioaccumulation in tomato fruit

Struvite precipitation is a well-documented method for recovering up to 98% of phosphorus from urine, which is one of the main nutrients in fertilizers besides nitrogen and potassium. Shortcomings of this process, however, are the low nitrogen recovery ratio and the possible uptake of pharmaceuticals from urine. In this work, the NH₄⁺ adsorbent materials biochar and zeolite are coupled with struvite precipitation to increase the N-recovery of struvite from 5.7% to 9.8%. Since nitrogen is one of the main nutrients in fertilisers, this increase is of significance for its potential commercial use. In addition, urine is spiked with pharmaceuticals to measure the consequential uptake in struvite-based fertilisers and crops afterwards. Five fertilisers are prepared by nutrient recovery from spiked urine using: (1) struvite crystallisation, (2) struvite crystallisation combined with N adsorption on zeolite, (3) struvite crystallisation combined with N adsorption on biochar, (4) N adsorption on zeolite without struvite crystallisation, and (5) N adsorption on biochar without struvite crystallisation. The fertiliser with the highest purity product and the lowest uptake of pharmaceuticals was struvite combined with zeolite. Next, the contaminated struvite-sorbent fertilisers are tested in a crop trial in which the bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals in edible plant tissue (tomatoes) is measured. This bioaccumulation in tomato fruit biomass from each of the spiked fertilisers in the crop trial was found to be lower than 0.0003% in all cases, far below the acceptable daily intake (ADI) levels (750 kg of dry tomatoes should be consumed per day to reach the ADI limit). Consequently, the subsequent risk to human health from tomato fruit grown using urine derived struvite-sorbent fertilisers is found to be insignificant.

Long-term wastewater irrigation of vegetables in real agricultural systems: Concentration of pharmaceuticals in soil, uptake and bioaccumulation in tomato fruits and human health risk assessment

Wastewater (WW) reuse for vegetable crops irrigation is regularly applied worldwide. Such a practice has been found to allow the uptake of pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) by plants and their subsequent entrance to the food web, representing an important alternative pathway for the exposure of humans to PhACs, with potential health implications. Herein we report the impacts of the long-term (three consecutive years) WW irrigation of a tomato crop with two differently treated effluents under real agricultural conditions, on (1) the soil concentration of selected PhACs (i.e. diclofenac, DCF; sulfamethoxazole, SMX; trimethoprim, TMP), (2) the bioaccumulation of these PhACs in tomato fruits, and (3) the human risks associated with the consumption of WW-irrigated fruits. Results revealed that the concentration of the studied PhACs in both the soil and tomato fruits varied depending on the qualitative characteristics of the treated effluent applied and the duration of WW irrigation. The PhAC with the highest soil concentration throughout the studied period was SMX (0.98 μg kg^-1), followed by TMP (0.62 μg kg^-1) and DCF (0.35 μg kg^-1). DCF was not found in tomato fruits harvested from WW-irrigated plants during the first year of the study. However, DCF displayed the highest fruit concentration (11.63 μg kg^-1) throughout the study (as a result of prolonged WW irrigation), followed by SMX (5.26 μg kg^-1) and TMP (3.40 μg kg^-1). The calculated fruit bioconcentration factors (BCF_F) were extremely high for DCF in the 2nd (108) and 3rd year (132) of the experimental period, with the respective values for SMX (0.5-5.4) and TMP (0.2-6.4) being significantly lower. The estimated threshold of toxicity concern (TTC) and hazard quotients (HQ) values revealed that the consumption of fruits harvested from tomato plants irrigated for long period with the WW applied for irrigation under field conditions in this study represent a de minimis risk to human health. However, more studies need to be performed in order to obtain more solid information on the safety of WW reuse for irrigation.

Accumulation of pharmaceuticals in groundwater under arid climate conditions - Results from unsaturated column experiments

Intense reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture is practiced all over the world, especially in arid and water-scarce regions. In doing so, pharmaceutical residues in the water are irrigated to the soil and subsequently can percolate into the local aquifers. Since evaporation rates in these areas are typically high, persistent substances might enrich in the groundwater recharge of closed catchments like the Jordan Valley. Against this background, unsaturated column tests were conducted to investigate the potential for evaporative accumulation of the two pharmaceuticals bezafibrate and carbamazepine under simulated arid climate conditions. Parallel tests were conducted with inhibited microbiological activity where both substances showed an increase in the effluent concentrations proportional to the evaporation loss of the inflow solution. The mean accumulation factors of the pharmaceuticals correspond to the evaporated water loss. The experiments indicate the accumulation potential for pharmaceuticals with high persistence against biodegradation. For the first time, the overall potential for evaporative enrichment could be demonstrated for pharmaceuticals. Under the given experimental conditions, the two investigated pharmaceuticals did not enrich faster than chloride, which might result in soil salting prior to reaching harmful pharmaceutical concentrations in soil water. The findings are relevant to future assessments of environmental impacts of persistent trace substances, which need to take into account that concentrations in the aquatic cycle might increase further due to evaporative enrichment.

Analytical, toxicological and kinetic investigation of decomposition of the drug diclofenac in waters and wastes using gamma radiation

The radiolytic decomposition of the drug diclofenac (DCF), and in limited extent, also two other widely used drugs, ibuprofen and carbamazepine, was examined using liquid chromatography (LC) methods. The efficiency of DCF decomposition was examined in function of the absorbed dose of gamma radiation, and also in the presence of selected scavengers of radicals, which are commonly present in natural waters and wastes. Three different tests were employed for the monitoring of toxicity changes in the irradiated DCF solutions. The LC/mass spectrometry (MS) was used for the determination of products of DCF radiolysis. Using pulse-radiolysis method with the spectrophotometric detection, the rate constant values were determined for reactions of DCF with the main products of water radiolysis: hydroxyl radicals (1.24 ± 0.02) × 10(10) M(-1) s(-1) and hydrated electrons (3.1 ± 0.2) × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1). Their values indicate that both oxidative and reductive processes in radiolytic decomposition of DCF can take place in irradiated diluted aqueous solutions of DCF. The possibility of decomposition of all examined analytes was investigated in samples of river water and hospital waste. Compared to the previous studies, the conducted measurements in real samples were carried out at the concentration levels, which are close to those reported earlier in environmental samples. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Determination of the psychoactive drugs carbamazepine and diazepam in hospital effluent and identification of their metabolites

This study addresses the occurrence of carbamazepine and diazepam and their metabolites in the wastewater of the University Hospital (HUSM) of the Federal University of Santa Maria, RS-Brazil. Samples were collected from three sampling points of the sewage treatment system: point A ('emergency effluent'), point B ('general effluent') and point C ('water course-receptor'). Eight metabolites were identified: carbamazepine-10-11-epoxide, 10-dihydro-carbamazepine, 2-OH-carbamazepine, iminoquinone, acridone, nordiazepam, oxazepam and temazepam. The mean concentrations in the emergency, general effluent and water course-receptor were as follows: 433.0 ± 4.7, 349.0 ± 5.0 and 485.0 ± 5.6 ng L(-1), for carbamazepine and 550.0 ± 4.3, 441.0 ± 7.9 and 586.6 ± 9.3 ng L(-1), for diazepam, respectively. Liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QqLIT-MS) proved to be a method fit-to-purpose. The determination of carbamazepine and diazepam, and the identification of active metabolites showing environmental persistence (carbamazepine-10-11-epoxide, nordiazepam and oxazepam) revealed the need for a more effective treatment of the HUSM effluent. As far as we know, no similar study has been carried out on the wastewater of Brazilian hospitals.

Irrigation of root vegetables with treated wastewater: evaluating uptake of pharmaceuticals and the associated human health risks

To meet mounting water demands, treated wastewater has become an important source of irrigation. Thus, contamination of treated wastewater by pharmaceutical compounds (PCs) and the fate of these compounds in the agricultural environment are of increasing concern. This field study aimed to quantify PC uptake by treated wastewater-irrigated root crops (carrots and sweet potatoes) grown in lysimeters and to evaluate potential risks. In both crops, the nonionic PCs (carbamazepine, caffeine, and lamotrigine) were detected at significantly higher concentrations than ionic PCs (metoprolol, bezafibrate, clofibric acid, diclofenac, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, sulfamethoxazole, and sildenafil). PCs in leaves were found at higher concentrations than in the roots. Carbamazepine metabolites were found mainly in the leaves, where the concentration of the metabolite 10,11-epoxycarbamazepine was significantly higher than the parent compound. The health risk associated with consumption of wastewater-irrigated root vegetables was estimated using the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) approach. Our data show that the TTC value of lamotrigine can be reached for a child at a daily consumption of half a carrot (∼60 g). This study highlights that certain PCs accumulated in edible organs at concentrations above the TTC value should be categorized as contaminants of emerging concern.

Consumption and occurrence of pharmaceutical and personal care products in the aquatic environment in Spain

The occurrence of sixty pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), twenty metabolites and eight personal care products (PCPs) in the aquatic environment in Spain and their predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) were calculated and compared with measured environmental concentrations (MECs) obtained from relevant published research. The occurrence in the aquatic environment was calculated through a mass balance approach considering the following: the number of pharmaceutical prescriptions issued, the amount of pharmaceutical discharged without consumption, consumption, self-medication, pharmacokinetics, treatment in wastewater facilities and discharged to aquatic environment. The estimation of consumption of active compounds of pharmaceuticals was conducted by at least one of the following methodologies: number of commercial packages sold, data for the number of defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants per day (DHD), and pattern of treatment. Comparison of these methodologies for some compounds showed similar estimated consumption ranges. The highest pharmaceutical occurrence in the aquatic environment was for acetaminophen glucuronide, Galaxolide®, Iso-E-super®, acetaminophen, valsartan, amoxicillin, 2-hydroxy-ibuprofen, iopromide, omeprazole, carbamazepine 10, 11-epoxide, iopamidol, salicylic β-d-O-glucuronide acid, Tonalide®, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), clarithromycin and iohexol, with releases between 5 and 600 ty(-1). The relation of PEC/MEC was calculated for 58% of the compounds under study, and 64.7% of them had PEC/MEC ratios between 0.5 and 2. PEC values were mostly overestimated (57.4%). The predicted concentrations for pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) that had a high occurrence in the aquatic environment were very close to the measured concentrations. This research provides information that had not been calculated and analyzed previously, at least for Spain. Estimation of the PECs for pharmaceutical, personal care products and metabolites is a useful tool for identifying compounds that should be considered for environmental concern, and such estimations could be used to improve environmental risk assessment studies.