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Pharmaceutical Pollutants in Water: Origin, Toxicity Hazards, and Treatment

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Abstract

Medicines are immensely playing an essential role in protecting human and animal health. Pharmaceuticals are categorized into myriad therapeutic divisions, including anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, antipsychotics, antihypertensives, antidiabetics, antihistamines, lipid regulators, anticonvulsant, β-blockers, stimulants and statins. This chapter is aimed to offer a brief overview on the origin of pollutants of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medicines and their brief toxicity hazards to human and aquatic life. Due to the high prevalence of infectious diseases, antibiotics and related by-products are one of the major pharmaceutical pollutants. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are customarily being used and consequently are perceived in effluent and wetland water and may be found in groundwater systems. There are growing environmental concerns and excessive usage of medicines emerging as contaminants when their residues enter freshwater systems. Overwhelmed use of pharmaceuticals showed impact on aquatic and terrestrial living beings as well as the environment.

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Abbreviations

AC:

Activated carbon

AMWPE:

Average molecular weight medium density polyethylene

AOP:

Advanced oxidation process

API:

Active pharmaceutical ingredient

BIS:

Bureau of Indian Standards

BOD:

Biological oxygen demand

CL:

Castor leaves

COD:

Chemical oxygen demand

COF:

Carbon organic frameworks

CPCB:

Central Pollution Control Board

DCF:

Diclofenac

GnO:

Graphene oxide

GWRC:

Global Water Research Coalition

HQ:

Hazard quotient

IBU:

Ibuprofen

ICMR:

Indian Council of Medical Research

ICNP:

Iron composite nanoparticles

KTP:

Ketoprofen

LF:

Luffa cylindrical

MeIM:

Methylimidazole

MOF:

Metal organic framework

NPX:

Naproxen

NSAID:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug

POP:

Pseudo-persistent pollutant

PP:

Polypropylene

PXRD:

Powder X-ray diffraction

RH:

Rice husk

SB:

Sugarcane bagasse

SIL:

Silica modified with ionic liquids

UHMWPE:

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

WHO:

World Health Organization

ZIF-8@NiAl-LDHs:

Zeolitic imidazolate framework @ layered double hydroxides

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Acknowledgment

The authors grateful to the Principal, Pachaiyappa’s College for providing basic research facilities to accomplish the task. Dr. V. Sivamurugan gratefully acknowledges the love and support of his wife Dr. P. Priya and his beloved son Master. S. Ashwin.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. P.G. and Research Department of Chemistry, Pachaiyappa’s College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Ravikumar Dhanalakshmi & Vajiravelu Sivamurugan

  2. P.G. and Research Department of Zoology, Pachaiyappa’s College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Ponmudi Priya

Authors
  1. Ravikumar Dhanalakshmi
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  2. Ponmudi Priya
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  3. Vajiravelu Sivamurugan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Water and Soil Processing Lab Department of Environmental Biotechnology, School of Environmental Sciences Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India

    M. Vasanthy

  2. Post Graduate and Research Department of Chemistry, Pachaiyappa’s College (Affiliated to University of Madras), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    V. Sivasankar

  3. Post Graduate and Research Department of Chemistry, Pachaiyappa’s College (Affiliated to University of Madras), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    T. G. Sunitha

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Dhanalakshmi, R., Priya, P., Sivamurugan, V. (2022). Pharmaceutical Pollutants in Water: Origin, Toxicity Hazards, and Treatment. In: Vasanthy, M., Sivasankar, V., Sunitha, T.G. (eds) Organic Pollutants. Emerging Contaminants and Associated Treatment Technologies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72441-2_12

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