Health risks associated with the pharmaceuticals in wastewater

Abstract

The overwhelming population growth in recent decades and water crisis along with limited and uneven geographical distribution of fresh water resources is a growing challenge for the economic and human development. Wastewater reclamation and use could be an alternative for intact water sources and a promising solution to water scarcity and unequal distribution. However, wastewater is a double-edged resource both as an accessible water source for food production and human usage and concurrently may carry uncharacterized content with unknown toxicological profile causing acute or long-term health risks. Pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, nanomaterials and their chemical decomposition derivatives found in wastewater are not well known in many cases. Their unknown toxicity, teratogenicity and carcinogenicity profile associated with lack of monitoring and control measures impose a significant hazard risk on the public health. This paper reviews the evidence on the health risks associated with the wastewater use for irrigated food production and the imposed risk on the end consumers mainly from pharmaceutical industry and related research facilities. Then, we suggest an applied framework for planning and policy-making to mitigate the health risks and optimally employ reclaimed wastewater for human purposes.

Physicochemical properties of wastewater effluent from two selected wastewater treatment plants (Cape Town) for water quality improvement

“…Therefore, it encompasses various organic and inorganic compounds as well as pathogenic microorganisms (Lokhande et al 2011;Rana et al 2017). These constitute potential dangers to the natural water system and hence becomes hazardous to life (Lokhande et al 2011;Koopaei and Abdollahi 2017). The continuous pollution of the aquatic environment with wastewater has a detrimental impact on health and the environment (Lokhande et al 2011;Rana et al 2017;Koopaei and Abdollahi 2017).…”

“…In the recent past decades, the use of wastewater effluent has gained immense popularity due to some factors such as climate change, food insecurity and industrialization (Patil et al 2012). On the contrary, the major part of these wastewater effluents is employed for agricultural purposes which could lead to the accumulation of toxic substances from wastewater in plants (Zabir et al 2016;Koopaei and Abdollahi 2017). South Africa as a semiarid region with a level of water inadequacy has been exploring wastewater reuse especially in landscaping, agriculture and industrial application (Adewumi et al 2010).…”

“…South Africa as a semiarid region with a level of water inadequacy has been exploring wastewater reuse especially in landscaping, agriculture and industrial application (Adewumi et al 2010). This has to be monitored and regulated to prevent any detrimental effect on human health and the environment (Koopaei and Abdollahi 2017).…”

Adsorbent Minimization for Removal of Ibuprofen from Water in a Two-Stage Batch Process

“…In recent decades, a myriad of pharmaceutical personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine-disrupting substances (EDCs) have been frequently identified in the aquatic environment and various water bodies such as treated sewage effluents, surface water, groundwater, and drinking water [1][2][3]. The presence of these emerging contaminants, despite being trace amounts, is a growing concern due to their potential adverse toxic effects on aquatic organisms and human health [4,5]. One of the primary pathways for these compounds to enter and contaminate potable water resources is via treated sewage effluents.…”

Microbial Electrochemical Fluidized Bed Reactor: A Promising Solution for Removing Pollutants From Pharmaceutical Industrial Wastewater

“…The synthetic chemical industry produces effluents with a high level of salinity and a high chemical oxygen demand (COD), which eventually generates a dispersed pollution problem in the form of micropollutants, also called emerging contaminants (EC) (Queiroz et al, 2019). The pharmaceutical industry produces the most recalcitrant wastewater (Abdel-Shafy and Mansour, 2013;Gadipelly et al, 2014;Nassiri Koopaei and Abdollahi, 2017;Yakubu, 2017). Pharmaceutical wastewater is known to contain highly active compounds, which can lead to a significant concern due to their potential adverse human health and ecological effects (Virkutyte et al, 2010).…”