Quantitative Assessment of Pharmaceutical Drugs in a Municipal Wastewater and Overview of Associated Risks

Pharmaceuticals compounds are the emerging contaminants known for their refractory and environmental persistence, which pose threat to flora and fauna. In the present study, the occurrence and possible contamination sources of four drugs, namely paracetamol, diclofenac, salbutamol and ceftriaxone in wastewater of Mysuru, India, were investigated. The said pharma compounds were analyzed in the effluent of select health care establishments and municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWWTP). The results revealed that diclofenac was omnipresent in all the samples with the peak concentration of 4.2 µg/mL, whereas salbutamol and ceftriaxone were in the range of 0.7–18.7 µg/mL and 1.25–29.15 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, paracetamol was detected only at the inlet of MWWTP with a concentration of 4.6 µg/mL. Surprisingly, the presence of relative amounts of these drugs in the treated water released from MWWTP was observed. Further, the ‘risk quotient method’ for ecological risk assessment was adopted to assess the magnitude of risk toward aquatic species. Next, the study employed the concept of citizen science to gather information on disposal and management methods of unused and expired medications at household and health care centers. This survey revealed that hospital discharges and community disposal of unused medicines contributed to incidence of pharmaceutical compounds in the local environment. Finally, a precise perspective and future challenge for the safe management of drugs are presented.