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Occurrence patterns of pharmaceuticals in water and wastewater environments

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Abstract

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites and transformation products in the environment is becoming a matter of concern, because these compounds, which may have adverse effects on living organisms, are extensively and increasingly used in human and veterinary medicine and are released continuously into the environment. A variety of pharmaceuticals have been detected in many environmental samples worldwide. Their occurrence has been reported in sewage-treatment-plant effluents, surface water, seawater, groundwater, soil, sediment and fish. This paper provides an overview of recent scientific research on the sources, occurrence, and fate of pharmaceuticals in water and wastewater.

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Acknowledgement

This review has been inspired by EU COST Action 636 “Xenobiotics in the Urban Water Cycle” in which the authors participate.

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  1. Sureyya Meric

    Present address: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, 84084, Fisciano (SA), Italy

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Sciences, Faculty of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, 81100, Mytilene, Greece

    Anastasia Nikolaou

  2. GAIA, Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, 75, Kallipoleos, 1678, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Despo Fatta

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  1. Anastasia Nikolaou
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Correspondence to Anastasia Nikolaou.

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Nikolaou, A., Meric, S. & Fatta, D. Occurrence patterns of pharmaceuticals in water and wastewater environments. Anal Bioanal Chem 387, 1225–1234 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-006-1035-8

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