Occurrence, pollution sources, and mitigation prospects of Antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and endocrine disruptors in the aquatic environment

The significant water consumption by the pharmaceutical industries, hospitals, and the population generates large volumes of liquid discharges loaded with a multiplicity of pharmaceutical compounds worldwide. Today, this water demand is increasing dramatically and threatens the security of water resources. Indeed, over time, the excessive use of water associated with its contamination would increase the ecotoxicology effects of these compounds due to their combined impact and persistence in the receiving environment. Therefore, sustainable water management will become difficult, especially under the current conditions of population growth and global warming. Mitigating potential risks to the aquatic environment requires a recent scientific database on the occurrence of persistent pharmaceutical compounds worldwide to adopt strategies for their reduction in the receiving environment. In this regard, this study aims to determine the occurrence and potential sources that favor these compounds' contamination of the aquatic environment. This review examines findings from peer-reviewed studies of the occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic ecosystems between 2018 and 2023. It includes 131 articles on the occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds worldwide. The criteria for the inclusion of pharmaceutical compounds is based on those most consumed and persistent in the natural environment with ecotoxicology effects, in particular antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and endocrine disruptors. Special consideration is given to mitigating their contamination in the aquatic environment.