Pharmaceutical pollution of the world’s rivers
Фармацевтическое загрязнение мировых рек
2022-02-14
SCID: 54.1/32nqejgh
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active pharmaceutical ingredientsantimicrobial resistanceglobal water qualitypharmaceutical pollutionriver contamination
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Abstract (AI)
Environmental exposure to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can have negative effects on the health of ecosystems and humans. While numerous studies have monitored APIs in rivers, these employ different analytical methods, measure different APIs, and have ignored many of the countries of the world. This makes it difficult to quantify the scale of the problem from a global perspective. Furthermore, comparison of the existing data, generated for different studies/regions/continents, is challenging due to the vast differences between the analytical methodologies employed. Here, we present a global-scale study of API pollution in 258 of the world's rivers, representing the environmental influence of 471.4 million people across 137 geographic regions. Samples were obtained from 1,052 locations in 104 countries (representing all continents and 36 countries not previously studied for API contamination) and analyzed for 61 APIs. Highest cumulative API concentrations were observed in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and South America. The most contaminated sites were in low- to middle-income countries and were associated with areas with poor wastewater and waste management infrastructure and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The most frequently detected APIs were carbamazepine, metformin, and caffeine (a compound also arising from lifestyle use), which were detected at over half of the sites monitored. Concentrations of at least one API at 25.7% of the sampling sites were greater than concentrations considered safe for aquatic organisms, or which are of concern in terms of selection for antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, pharmaceutical pollution poses a global threat to environmental and human health, as well as to delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Key Findings
1
A global survey analyzed 61 active pharmaceutical ingredients across 1,052 sites in 104 countries, covering 258 rivers and 471.4 million people.
2
At 25.7% of sampling sites, at least one API exceeded concentrations considered safe for aquatic organisms or concerning for antimicrobial-resistance selection, indicating a global environmental and human-health threat.
3
Carbamazepine, metformin, and caffeine were the most frequently detected compounds, each occurring at over half of monitored sites.
4
The highest cumulative pharmaceutical concentrations occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and South America.
5
The most contaminated sites were concentrated in low- and middle-income countries and linked to inadequate wastewater or waste management and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Research Object
Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) pollution in the world's rivers
Research Subject
Global occurrence, concentrations, geographic distribution, and ecological and antimicrobial-resistance risks of APIs in river water
Publication Details
Publication Date
2022-02-14
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