Risk Evaluation and Legal Framework
of the Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory
Drugs Around the World
Jesus Daniel Cardoso-Vera, Hariz Islas-Flores, Nely SanJuan-Reyes,
and Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
2 Legal Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
3 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Abstract Ecological risk assessment is generally carried out to assess the dose that
may be harmful to particular species found in the freshwater. The ecological risk
assessment is generally expressed through RQ or hazardous quotient, RQ < 0.1
suggests no risk, 0.1 RQ 1.0 suggests medium risk, and RQ > 1.0 suggests high
risk to that particular species. Regarding this, the risk of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been particularly studied by several researchers
in many countries because they are pharmaceuticals of high consumption by the
population due to their analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties, as
well as their occurrence in different water bodies at different concentrations and the
toxic effects reported in organisms that are exposed to them. Due to the results
obtained, they have also been considered for future regulations, and in particular,
diclofenac was added to the list of priority substances of the European Commission
which should be monitored as water pollution agents in the European Union. In this
chapter we will discuss some of these risk assessment studies as well as the
legislation proposed by some countries for their regulation.
J. D. Cardoso-Vera, H. Islas-Flores (*), N. SanJuan-Reyes, and L. M. Gómez-Oliván
Laboratorio de Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del
Estado de México, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
e-mail: hislasf@uaemex.mx
Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván (ed.), Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
in Water: Emerging Contaminants and Ecological Impact,
Hdb Env Chem (2020) 96: 321–336, DOI 10.1007/698_2020_555,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Published online: 2 July 2020
321
of the Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory
Drugs Around the World
Jesus Daniel Cardoso-Vera, Hariz Islas-Flores, Nely SanJuan-Reyes,
and Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
2 Legal Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
3 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Abstract Ecological risk assessment is generally carried out to assess the dose that
may be harmful to particular species found in the freshwater. The ecological risk
assessment is generally expressed through RQ or hazardous quotient, RQ < 0.1
suggests no risk, 0.1 RQ 1.0 suggests medium risk, and RQ > 1.0 suggests high
risk to that particular species. Regarding this, the risk of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been particularly studied by several researchers
in many countries because they are pharmaceuticals of high consumption by the
population due to their analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties, as
well as their occurrence in different water bodies at different concentrations and the
toxic effects reported in organisms that are exposed to them. Due to the results
obtained, they have also been considered for future regulations, and in particular,
diclofenac was added to the list of priority substances of the European Commission
which should be monitored as water pollution agents in the European Union. In this
chapter we will discuss some of these risk assessment studies as well as the
legislation proposed by some countries for their regulation.
J. D. Cardoso-Vera, H. Islas-Flores (*), N. SanJuan-Reyes, and L. M. Gómez-Oliván
Laboratorio de Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del
Estado de México, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
e-mail: hislasf@uaemex.mx
Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván (ed.), Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
in Water: Emerging Contaminants and Ecological Impact,
Hdb Env Chem (2020) 96: 321–336, DOI 10.1007/698_2020_555,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Published online: 2 July 2020
321