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Pharmaceuticals in biota in the aquatic environment: analytical methods and environmental implications

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Abstract

The presence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment is an ever-increasing issue of concern as they are specifically designed to target specific metabolic and molecular pathways in organisms, and they may have the potential for unintended effects on nontarget species. Information on the presence of pharmaceuticals in biota is still scarce, but the scientific literature on the subject has established the possibility of bioaccumulation in exposed aquatic organisms through other environmental compartments. However, few studies have correlated both bioaccumulation of pharmaceutical compounds and the consequent effects. Analytical methodology to detect pharmaceuticals at trace quantities in biota has advanced significantly in the last few years. Nonetheless, there are still unresolved analytical challenges associated with the complexity of biological matrices, which require exhaustive extraction and purification steps, and highly sensitive and selective detection techniques. This review presents the trends in the analysis of pharmaceuticals in aquatic organisms in the last decade, recent data about the occurrence of these compounds in natural biota, and the environmental implications that chronic exposure could have on aquatic wildlife.

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Acknowledgments

This study was co-financed by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the project SCARCE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065) and by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDEr). D.Barceló acknowledges King Saud University for his visiting professorship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003, Girona, Spain

    B. Huerta, S. Rodríguez-Mozaz & D. Barceló

  2. Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    D. Barceló

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  1. B. Huerta
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  2. S. Rodríguez-Mozaz
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  3. D. Barceló
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Correspondence to B. Huerta.

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Published in the topical collection Emerging Contaminants in Biota with guest editors Yolanda Picó and Damià Barceló.

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Huerta, B., Rodríguez-Mozaz, S. & Barceló, D. Pharmaceuticals in biota in the aquatic environment: analytical methods and environmental implications. Anal Bioanal Chem 404, 2611–2624 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-012-6144-y

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