Ibuprofen and diclofenac: Effect on freshwater and marine aquatic organisms-Are they at risk?

Pharmaceuticals are included in the group of emergent pollutants due to their characteristics and potential negative effects. They remain mostly unregulated or are undergoing currently some sort of regularization process. Diclofenac, for instance, has been included in a watch list of substances for European Union-wide monitoring and the priority list of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) of the European Union. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a varied and chemically heterogeneous group of mainly anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic drugs, reducing symptoms of inflammation, pain, and fever, respectively. They are widely employed and have been detected in freshwater, seawater, and sediment. Nevertheless, they are found as mixture instead of single compounds. In this chapter, we have tried to summarize how to assess the risk due to the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in aquatic ecosystems. We have focused on the mixture of diclofenac and ibuprofen using acute and sublethal toxicity data for different aquatic species. It has been presented new strategies as adverse outcome pathway to improve the understanding of the toxicity of these compounds. Although gaps of the information are pointed out, the risk levels associated with the occurrence of these compounds in aquatic ecosystems will range between no risk or high risk, depending on concentrations and environmental conditions.We would like to thank the projects CTM2016-75908-R and CTM2015-70731-R and the Junta de Andalucía PAIDI Excellence Research Group RNM306 for their support. MH is supported by the Spanish Ramón y Cajal funding scheme (contract reference RYC-2012-12217) of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO)

Impact of PhACs on Soil Microorganisms

International audienceThe use of reclaimed water in crop irrigation helps to mitigate water shortage. The fertilization of arable soils with sewage sludge, biosolids, or livestock manure reduces extensive application of synthetic fertilizers. However, both practices lead to the introduction of pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) in arable soil, known to host a wide range of living organisms, including microorganisms which are supporting numerous ecosystem services. In soils, the fate of PhACs is governed by different abiotic and biotic processes. Among them, soil sorption and microbial transformation are the most important ones and determine the fate, occurrence, and dispersion of PhACs into the different compartments of the environment. The presence of PhACs in soils can compromise the abundance, diversity, and activity of the soil microbial community which is one of the key players in a range of soil ecosystem services. This chapter reviews the current knowledge of the effects of PhACs, commonly found in wastewater effluents and derived organic fertilizers, on the soil microbial community