A review of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in Indian water bodies.

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2016 Dec 1;137:113-120. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.11.014. [Epub ahead of print]

Balakrishna K¹, Rath A², Praveenkumarreddy Y¹, Guruge KS³, Subedi B⁴.

• ¹Department of Civil Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal University, Manipal 576 104, India.
• ²Department of Civil Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal University, Manipal 576 104, India; Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
• ³Pathology and Pathophysiology Research Division, National Institute of Animal Health, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305 859, Japan.
• ⁴Department of Chemistry, Murray State University, 1201 Jesse D Jones Hall, Murray, KY 42071, USA. Electronic address: bsubedi@murraystate.edu.

Abstract

Little information exists on the occurrence and the ultimate fate of pharmaceuticals in the water bodies in India despite being one of the world leaders in pharmaceutical production and consumption. This paper has reviewed 19 published reports of pharmaceutical occurrence in the aquatic environment in India [conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WTPs), hospital WTPs, rivers, and groundwater]. Carbamazepine (antipsychoactive), atenolol (antihypertensive), triclocarban and triclosan (antimicrobials), trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (antibacterials), ibuprofen and acetaminophen (analgesics), and caffeine (stimulant) are the most commonly detected at higher concentrations in Indian WTPs that treat predominantly the domestic sewage. The concentration of ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, amoxicillin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin in Indian WTPs were up to 40 times higher than that in other countries in Europe, Australia, Asia, and North America. A very few studies in Indian rivers reported the presence of ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, ketoprofen, erythromycin, naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac and enrofloxacin. Similar compounds were reported in rivers in China, indicating a similar usage pattern in both of these developing countries. In a study reported from an open well in southern India, the groundwater showed the presence of cetirizine, ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, citalopram and terbinafine, which was close to a WTP receiving effluents from pharmaceutical production.

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

Groundwater; India; Pharmaceuticals; River; Wastewater; Wastewater treatment plant