Distribution and Chemical Analysis of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in the Environmental Systems: A Review

C.R. Ohoro, A.O. Adeniji, A.I. Okoh and O.O. Okoh
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C.R. Ohoro: SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa
A.O. Adeniji: SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa
A.I. Okoh: SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa
O.O. Okoh: SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-31

Abstract: PPCPs are found almost everywhere in the environment especially at an alarming rate and at very low concentration in the aquatic systems. Many methods—including pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and micro-assisted extraction (MAE)—have been employed for their extraction from both surface waters and biota. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) proved to be the best extraction method for these polar, non-volatile, and thermally unstable compounds in water. However, ultrasonic extraction works better for their isolation from sediment because it is cheap and consumes less solvent, even though SPE is preferred as a clean-up method for sediment samples. PPCPs are in groups of—acidic (e.g., diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen), neutral (e.g., caffeine, carbamazepine, fluoxetine), and basic pharmaceuticals, as well as antibiotics and estrogens amongst others. PPCPs which are present in trace levels (ng/L) are more often determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolent (HPLC-UV). Of these, LC-MS and LC-MS-MS are mostly employed for the analysis of this class of compounds, though not without a draw-back of matrix effect. GC-MS and GC-MS-MS are considered as alternative cost-effective methods that can also give better results after derivatization.

Keywords: pharmaceuticals and personal care products; endocrine disruptors; ultrasonic-assisted extraction; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry; solid-phase extraction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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