Preface
Pharmaceuticals are designed to persist and perform their therapeutic action and,
consequently, once they enter the aquatic environment, they persist in it, damaging
the health of organisms living in these ecosystems and even human health. Therefore, these products are currently of worldwide environmental concern and have
been called “emerging contaminants”. The latter term includes non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), a heterogeneous group of pharmaceuticals with
anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic properties, which act as selective
inhibitors of the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX), inhibiting cyclooxygenase-1
(COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) which are responsible for the production
of prostaglandins, prostacyclins and thromboxanes.
Some NSAIDs do not degrade in the environment, others are degradable but at a
very slow pace and although some others are not persistent in the environment, they
can be transformed through natural processes. The continuous introduction of this
type of products from various sources (municipal, hospital and industrial effluents)
prolongs and maintains its presence in the waters increasing any possible impact on
aquatic life.
The appearance of NSAIDs in water represents a high risk to the environment for
many reasons. The main one is that they contain active ingredients that were
designed to induce specific pharmacological effects in humans but, when they
dissolve in water, can reach non-target populations such as fish, amphipods,
amphibians, among others, which produces toxicological effects. Diverse studies
have reported NSAID-induced toxicity in aquatic organisms since these organisms
are more susceptible to toxic effects due to their continued exposure to wastewater
discharges throughout the life cycle.
In the chapters included in this book are indicated data about fate, occurrence,
toxicological findings identified by the presence of NSAIDs in various aquatic
organisms of economic and ecological interest. Also are included avant-garde
technologies for the removal of NSAIDs and the regulatory framework for the
presence of these drugs in the world.
ix
Pharmaceuticals are designed to persist and perform their therapeutic action and,
consequently, once they enter the aquatic environment, they persist in it, damaging
the health of organisms living in these ecosystems and even human health. Therefore, these products are currently of worldwide environmental concern and have
been called “emerging contaminants”. The latter term includes non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), a heterogeneous group of pharmaceuticals with
anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic properties, which act as selective
inhibitors of the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX), inhibiting cyclooxygenase-1
(COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) which are responsible for the production
of prostaglandins, prostacyclins and thromboxanes.
Some NSAIDs do not degrade in the environment, others are degradable but at a
very slow pace and although some others are not persistent in the environment, they
can be transformed through natural processes. The continuous introduction of this
type of products from various sources (municipal, hospital and industrial effluents)
prolongs and maintains its presence in the waters increasing any possible impact on
aquatic life.
The appearance of NSAIDs in water represents a high risk to the environment for
many reasons. The main one is that they contain active ingredients that were
designed to induce specific pharmacological effects in humans but, when they
dissolve in water, can reach non-target populations such as fish, amphipods,
amphibians, among others, which produces toxicological effects. Diverse studies
have reported NSAID-induced toxicity in aquatic organisms since these organisms
are more susceptible to toxic effects due to their continued exposure to wastewater
discharges throughout the life cycle.
In the chapters included in this book are indicated data about fate, occurrence,
toxicological findings identified by the presence of NSAIDs in various aquatic
organisms of economic and ecological interest. Also are included avant-garde
technologies for the removal of NSAIDs and the regulatory framework for the
presence of these drugs in the world.
ix