Freitas Letícia de Araújo Almeida, Radis-Baptista Gandhi
Post-Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE 60416-030, Brazil.
Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE 60165-081, Brazil.
J Xenobiot. 2021 May 18;11(2):61-76. doi: 10.3390/jox11020005.
The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment is an everyday recognized concern worldwide, and drugs as environmental contaminants have been detected in water and soil systems, posing risks to humans and wildlife. The presence of drugs in wastewater, groundwater, and even drinking water occurs in several countries, including Brazil, where the pharmaceutical market is expanding over the years. The adverse, harmful effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment range from the spreading of antimicrobial resistance and species survival to the interference with reproduction and increased cancer incidence in humans. Therefore, it is demanding to count on proper legislation to prevent these pollutants from entering the distinct environment compartments. In some developed countries, laws, directives, programs, and initiatives regarding drug disposal reach a mature status. In Brazil, federal laws dealing with drug residues' management are recent, with flaws that might facilitate non-compliance with drug pollution issues. Besides, pharmacies and drugstores are not obligated to collect unneeded household medicines, while particular State laws aim to ordinate the disposal of drug residues regionally. In this review, we consider the current knowledge about pharmaceutical (drug) pollution, the recommendation and regulations on the disposal of useless medicines in some countries, and in the context of the expanding pharmaceutical market in Brazil. The awareness of emerging contaminants in the environment, besides the joint effort of authorities, consumers, and the general public nationwide, will be required to avoid pharmaceutical/drug pollution and achieve an eco-friendly environment and a sustainable society.
药物在环境中的出现是全球范围内日常都公认的一个问题，并且作为环境污染物的药物已在水和土壤系统中被检测到，对人类和野生动物构成风险。包括巴西在内的几个国家，废水、地下水甚至饮用水中都存在药物，巴西的药品市场多年来一直在扩张。药物在环境中的不利、有害影响范围广泛，从抗菌药物耐药性的传播和物种生存到对人类生殖的干扰以及癌症发病率的增加。因此，依靠适当的立法来防止这些污染物进入不同的环境隔间是很有必要的。在一些发达国家，关于药品处置的法律、指令、计划和倡议已达到成熟状态。在巴西，处理药物残留管理的联邦法律较新，存在一些缺陷，可能会助长对药物污染问题的不遵守。此外，药店没有义务收集不需要的家庭药品，而特定的州法律旨在协调区域内药物残留的处置。在本综述中，我们考虑了关于药物（药品）污染的现有知识、一些国家对无用药品处置的建议和规定，以及在巴西药品市场不断扩大的背景下的情况。除了全国范围内当局、消费者和公众的共同努力外，还需要提高对环境中新兴污染物的认识，以避免药物/药品污染，实现生态友好型环境和可持续社会。
