Rural communities in central and eastern Europe usually use constructed wetlands (CWs) to treat domestic wastewater. Effluents from these systems are regularly discharged to receiving water, ...resulting in a potential transfer of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from sewage to the aquatic environment. In this study, the seasonal occurrence, removal and risk assessment of 32 multi-class PPCPs were investigated in three CWs from the village of south Bohemia, Czech Republic. Among the PPCPs considered, 25 compounds were detected in sewage influent, and ibuprofen, caffeine and paracetamol were the most commonly detected PPCPs. The removal efficiencies of PPCPs in the rural CWs exhibited large variability with 11–100% for anti-inflammatories, 37–99% for β-blockers and 18–95% for diuretics. The statistical results revealed significant correlations between removal efficiencies of six PPCPs and conventional water quality parameters. The ecotoxicological assessment study revealed that most of the PPCPs (except ibuprofen) in the effluent yielded low aquatic risk. This study suggested that constructed wetlands could be effective for removing PPCPs and reducing environmental risk of PPCPs discharged from rural communities into surface water systems.
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•Occurrence and removal of 32 pharmaceuticals from rural domestic wastewater were evaluated.•Hydrochlorothiazide and gabapentin removal were reported for the first time.•Pharmaceuticals were efficiently removed without significant seasonal variability.•Correlations between pharmaceuticals and water quality parameters were observed.•Ibuprofen in the effluent yielded high potential environmental risk.
A wide range of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are present in the environment, and many of their adverse effects are unknown. The environmental risk assessment of 26 PPCPs of ...relevant consumption and occurrence in the aquatic environment in Spain was accomplished in this research. Based on the ecotoxicity values obtained by bioluminescence and respirometry assays and by predictions using the US EPA ecological structure–activity relationship (ECOSAR™), the compounds were classified following the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. According to the criteria of the European Medicines Agency, the real risk of impact of these compounds in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and in the aquatic environment was predicted. In at least two ecotoxicity tests, 65.4 % of the PPCPs under study showed high toxicity or were harmful to aquatic organisms. The global order of the species’ sensitivity to the PPCPs considered was as follows: Vibrio fischeri (5 min) > Vibrio fischeri (15 min) > algae > crustaceans > fish > biomass of WWTP. Acetaminophen, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, clofibrate, ibuprofen, omeprazole, triclosan, parabens and 1,4-benzoquinone showed some type of risk for the aquatic environments and/or for the activated sludge of WWTPs. Development of acute and chronic ecotoxicity data, the determination of predicted and measured environmental concentrations of PPCPs, the inclusion of metabolites and transformation products and the evaluation of mixtures of these compounds will allow further improvements of the results of the ERAs and, finally, to efficiently identify the compounds that could affect the environment.
The “emerging contaminants” (ECs) are predominantly unregulated anthropogenic chemicals that occur in air, soil, water, food, and human/animal tissues in trace concentrations. The ECs are persistent ...in the environment, capable of perturbing the physiology of target receptors and, therefore, are regarded as contaminants of emerging environmental concerns in recent years. The prominent classes of ECs include pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PCPs), surfactants, plasticizers, pesticides, fire retardants, and nanomaterials. Some of the ECs with harmful effects on endocrine systems have been recognized as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Since the 1990s intensive research has been done covering environmental occurrence, fate, ecological effects, and treatment technologies of ECs. However, a comprehensive summary of the EC removal techniques, particularly in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are limited. Though the WWTPs are inefficient when it comes to ECs removal, they act as primary barriers against the spread of ECs. Therefore, this paper reviews the treatment technologies currently engaged for ECs removal in WWTPs for further possible upgrades of the existing designs. Results of this review indicate that the fate and distribution of ECs can be approximately estimated based on physicochemical properties like octanol-water partitioning coefficient (e.g., log KOW > 4, maximum sorption potential) and solid-water distribution coefficient e.g., Kd < 300–500 L/kg MLSS (mixed liquor suspended solids), insignificant sorption into sludge. Biodegradation potential of ECs can be predicted from biodegradation constant values (e.g., Kbio < 0.01 = low biodegradation and >10 = high biodegradation). In WWTPs, the EC removal efficiency varies in the range of 20–50%, 30–70%, and >90% during the primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment steps, respectively. Tertiary treatment technologies are considered as the most suitable alternatives for ECs treatment, but complete ECs removal is yet to be achieved. Further advancements in the treatment technologies will unquestionably be necessary in the future.
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•Treatment technologies for emerging contaminants (ECs) are comprehensively reviewed.•The ECs with risk quotient, RQ > 1 have high environmental risk potential.•The ECs with biodegradation kinetics, Kbio > 10 are highly biodegradable in nature.•ASP and MBR are effective biological technologies for ECs removal.•Ozonation and activated carbon treatment are best performing tertiary treatments.
Falsified cosmetics are increasingly common especially online through social media networks and mobile applications. This study developed and validated a novel tool to evaluate the safety of ...cosmetics and personal care products in the United Araba Emirates (UAE). This is methodological validation study and the data were derived from a cross-sectional study conducted on students and staff at Ajman University (AU) in the UAE. The study sample was selected via simple random sampling. The link to the survey was sent to potential respondents via email, and the responses were analysed using SPSS version 26. Content validity, factor analysis, and known group validity were employed to construct and validate an instrument that will enable the identification of cosmetics safety. The instrument's reliability was evaluated using test-retest reliability, internal consistency, item internal consistency (IIC), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). The study sample included 978 participants. The content validity index for the final 24-item scale was 0.84. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value was 0.959 with a statistically significant Bartlett's test of sphericity (p <0.001). Factor analysis presented a three-component model. PCFA analysis found good fit values with 0.960 for the normed fit index, 0.977 for the comparative fit index, and 0.987 for the Tucker Lewis Index. All values were in excess of 0.95, and the root mean square error of approximation was below 0.06 (0.03); thus, the model had a good fit. Cronbach's alpha also showed good consistency of the overall instrument (0.963), and all factors had a Cronbach's alpha above 0.70. Each item on the instrument met the IIC correlation standard of greater than or equal to 0.40, and there were good overall ICC statistics of 0.963 (0.959-0.966) for the instrument as a whole with statistical significance (p < 0.001). The instrument's test-retest reliability was assessed by correlating the respondents' identification scores at two time points with a four-week gap revealing a correlation coefficient of 0.870 (p-value <0.01). Participants holding a bachelor's degree were more likely to be able to identify safe and authentic cosmetics than those with a high-school educational level (p = 0.015). This study developed a novel validated instrument to determine the safety of cosmetics. The final questionnaire uses 24 items on three dimensions (13 items on hazard information, eight items on product identity, and three items on product handling and storage). The tool is concise and easy to complete, and it is suitable for use among the general population. The use of this instrument can promote greater collaboration between the consumer health regulatory authorities and inspection authorities thus increasing consumer satisfaction and public participation.
In recent years, many of micropollutants have been widely detected because of continuous input of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) into the environment and newly developed ...state-of-the-art analytical methods. PPCP residues are frequently detected in drinking water sources, sewage treatment plants (STPs), and water treatment plants (WTPs) due to their universal consumption, low human metabolic capability, and improper disposal. When partially metabolized PPCPs are transferred into STPs, they elicit negative effects on biological treatment processes; therefore, conventional STPs are insufficient when it comes to PPCP removal. Furthermore, the excreted metabolites may become secondary pollutants and can be further modified in receiving water bodies. Several advanced treatment systems, including membrane filtration, granular activated carbon, and advanced oxidation processes, have been used for the effective removal of individual PPCPs. This review covers the occurrence patterns of PPCPs in water environments and the techniques adopted for their treatment in STP/WTP unit processes operating in various countries. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive summary of the removal and fate of PPCPs in different treatment facilities as well as the optimum methods for their elimination in STP and WTP systems.
•There is a large variation in PPCP removal in STPs and WTPs (−157–100%).•PPCP removal is dependent on compound characteristics and process-specific factors.•Advanced treatment technologies are effective for PPCP removal.
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•An S-scheme heterojunction of Cd0.5Zn0.5S/Bi2MoO6 was developed.•The aggregation and photo-corrosion of Cd0.5Zn0.5S nanoparticles were suppressed.•Effective utilization of ...high-energetic photo-carriers was achieved.•Remarkably reinforced photocatalytic activity and stability was attained.•The enrofloxacin degradation pathway and the bio-toxicity evolution were unclosed.
The artificial S-scheme photocatalysis system, mimicking natural photosynthesis, has shown eminent potential for the photocatalytic destruction of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Here, S-scheme heterostructures were fabricated by coupling Cd0.5Zn0.5S nanoparticles and Bi2MoO6 microspheres as efficacious photocatalyst for antibiotic oxidation.
The optimum Cd0.5Zn0.5S/Bi2MoO6 attains the highest enrofloxacin degradation efficiency of 76.3 % within 40 min, with a significant promotion of 1.8 and 2.6 folds compared to Cd0.5Zn0.5S and Bi2MoO6, respectively. The integration of Cd0.5Zn0.5S with Bi2MoO6 to gain the Cd0.5Zn0.5S/Bi2MoO6 S-scheme heterojunction can availably achieve the effective spatial photo-carrier dissolution and optimize the photo-redox capacity, leading to the significant optimization of photocatalytic performance and stability. The primary reactive species, enrofloxacin degradation pathways and photocatalysis mechanism were illustrated basing on the scavenging tests, ESR characterization, and the HPLC-MS analyses etc. The computational toxicology analysis unravels the weakened bio-toxicity of most intermediates than parent enrofloxacin. Significantly, it also manifests a preeminent catalytic efficacy for annihilating enrofloxacin in authentic water systems, manifesting its vast potential for annihilating PPCPs. This study underlines the impetus of S-scheme heterojunction fabrication and hierarchical heterostructure configuration for the development of high-performance photocatalysts for efficient purification of PPCPs.
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are a unique group of emerging environmental contaminants, due to their inherent ability to induce physiological effects in human at low doses. An ...increasing number of studies has confirmed the presence of various PPCPs in different environmental compartments, which raises concerns about the potential adverse effects to humans and wildlife. Therefore, this article reviews the current state-of-knowledge on PPCPs in the freshwater aquatic environment. The environmental risk posed by these contaminants is evaluated in light of the persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity criteria. Available literature on the sources, transport and degradation of PPCPs in the aquatic environment are evaluated, followed by a comprehensive review of the reported concentrations of different PPCP groups in the freshwater aquatic environment (water, sediment and biota) of the five continents. Finally, future perspectives for research on PPCPs in the freshwater aquatic environment are discussed in light of the identified research gaps in current knowledge.
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.
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•Occurrence and fate of hazardous pollutants were discussed.•Monitoring and detection methods of hazardous pollutants were elucidated.•Treatment methods for hazardous pollutants removal were explored.•Risk assessment in terms of environment and human health was addressed.
The rising consumption of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and endocrine disruptive compounds for healthcare purposes and improving living standards has resulted in the widespread occurrence ...of organic micropollutants (MPs) in water and wastewater. Conventional water/wastewater treatment plants are faced with inherent limitations in tackling these compounds, leading to difficulties in the provision of secure and safe water supplies. In this context, membrane technology has been found to be a promising method for resolving this emerging concern. To ensure the suitability of membrane-based treatment processes in full-scale applications, we first need to develop a better understanding of the behavior of MPs and the mechanisms behind their removal using advanced membrane technologies. This review provides a thorough overview of the advanced membrane-based treatment methods available for the effective removal of MPs, including reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, forward osmosis, and membrane distillation.
•Greater use of PhACs, PCPs, and EDCs are resulting in the widespread occurrence of MPs.•RO, NF, FO, and MD membranes showed promising results for MPs removal.•Characteristics of MPs and solution chemistry had a significant effect on their retention.•Removal of MPs improved when membranes were modified using nanomaterials and employed in optimized conditions.
Environmental exposure risk to different xenobiotics, which can potentially alter the function of the endocrine system, remains a great health and safety concern for aquatic species and humans. ...Steroid hormones, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been identified as important aquatic contaminants due to their widespread occurrence in surface waters and their endocrine disrupting properties. Heavily populated areas in South Florida not served by municipal wastewater collection present an unexpected high risk of anthropogenic contaminants to nearby coastal systems through surface runoff and groundwater flow. Previous studies in South Florida have been largely concentrated on assessing the relevance of the fate and transport of inorganic nutrients, heavy metals and pesticides with regulatory criteria. Therefore, a significant gap exists in assessing occurrence, distribution and biological significance of the presence of human related organic contaminants in natural surface waters. In this study, we have developed a fast and sensitive online solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-HRMS) method using a Q-Exactive system for the determination of the occurrence and distribution of selected wastewater tracers/indicators, recalcitrant PPCPs and steroid hormones in South Florida surface waters. Seasonal and spatial variations of these contaminants were monitored from 2017 to 2019. The presence of total coliforms and E. coli were also evaluated in order to further assess water quality. Correlations between hormones and anthropogenic tracers were explored to better elucidate the sources, pathways and exposure risks to these contaminants. Caffeine, sucralose, Diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) and carbamazepine were frequently detected in the water samples, which is indicative of extensive wastewater intrusion impacting the surface water. Estrone (E1), 17-β-estradiol (E2), and 17-α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) levels found in surface water raises concern of potential endocrine disruption effects in the aquatic ecosystem. Hazard quotient has been calculated to identify areas with high ecological risks to aquatic organisms.
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•An online SPE LC-HRMS has been developed for relevant tracers, PPCPs and hormones.•Tracers were frequently detected in surface water indicating wastewater intrusion.•Levels of sucralose in Biscayne Bay and its tributaries indicate degraded water quality.•Associations between tracers (sucralose and caffeine), hormones and E. coli were found.•E1, E2 and EE2 posed great risk to the aquatic environment.
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