title: Occurrence patterns of pharmaceuticals in water and wastewater environments.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences, Faculty of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene, Greece. nnikol@aegean.gr
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nikolaou
authors.forename: Sureyya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meric
authors.forename: Despo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fatta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water