Pharmaceutical and Microplastic Pollution before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Surface Water, Wastewater, and Groundwater

Pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and oil spills are the most hazardous contaminants in aquatic environments. The COVID-19 pandemic enhanced pharmaceutical and microplastic contamination in aquatic environments. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of pharmaceutical and microplastic p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water (Basel) 2022-10, Vol.14 (19), p.3082
Main Authors: Pashaei, Reza, Dzingeleviciene, Reda, Bradauskaite, Aida, Lajevardipour, Alireza, Mlynska-Szultka, Malgorzata, Dzingelevicius, Nerijus, Raugele, Saulius, Razbadauskas, Arturas, Abbasi, Sajjad, Rees, Robert M, Buszewski, Boguslaw
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetaminophen
Antibiotics
Antidepressants
Aquatic ecosystems
Aquatic environment
Caffeine
Carbamazepine
Contaminants
Contamination
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Drugs
Environmental aspects
Epidemics
Groundwater
Hazardous areas
Ibuprofen
Influents
Lithuania
Medical wastes
Microplastics
Oil spills
Pandemics
Pharmaceuticals
Plastic pollution
Pollutants
Pollution
Polyethylene terephthalate
Polymers
Polystyrene resins
Psychotropic drugs
Sulfamethoxazole
Surface water
Surface-groundwater relations
Wastewater
Water treatment
Water, Underground
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Summary:Pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and oil spills are the most hazardous contaminants in aquatic environments. The COVID-19 pandemic enhanced pharmaceutical and microplastic contamination in aquatic environments. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of pharmaceutical and microplastic pollution on a global scale. This study assessed the results of pharmaceutical contamination in 25 countries and microplastic pollution in 13 countries. The findings show that pharmaceutical residues were detected in surface water, groundwater, and wastewater influents and effluents. In total, 43 types of pharmaceutical products were detected in 25 countries. Caffeine, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, sulfamethoxazole, and carbamazepine were the most abundant. In total, 32 types of polymers were detected in 13 countries. In the case of microplastics, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate were the more abundant polymers. Particles with a size of 1–2.5 mm and 2.5–5 mm accounted for half of the microplastics present in 13 countries. This study provides new evidence of the importance of emerging pollutants in aquatic environments before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ISSN:2073-4441
2073-4441
DOI:10.3390/w14193082