Sources, fate, and impact of pharmaceutical and personal care products in the environment and their different treatment technologies

Abstract

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are the major emerging contaminants that affect the different component of the environment. The group of PPCPs includes a large number of medicines such as antibiotics, analgesics, antiseptics, antidepressants, and personal care products. These compounds are released into the environment and there is no regular monitoring of these compounds. The major sources of these compounds include industries, hospital waste, and sewage treatment plants (STPs). Concentrations of these compounds may vary in the different components of the ecosystem from 1 to 100 ng/L. Due to their increasing levels and lack of appropriate techniques, these compounds cannot be removed from different sources through conventional STPs. Some methods are available, which can be used for the removal of these contaminants. In this chapter, we reviewed the sources and fate of the pharmaceutical compounds and also discussed the different removal techniques for the pharmaceutical compounds from various matrices. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.