Anticancer drugs in the aquatic ecosystem: Environmental occurrence, ecotoxicological effect and risk assessment

Anticancer drugs are a group of therapeutic agents used to enhance cell death in targeted types neoplasia. Because frequent use and eventual discharge, they have been often detected wastewater from pharmaceutical factories hospitals, domestic wastewater, surface waters. The occurrence these aquatic ecosystems their effects on organisms poorly characterized. This review focuses the global major classes anticancer water sediments freshwater ecotoxicological at different biological levels. While availability data is fairly limited, concentrations most range < 2 ng/L 762 µg/L receiving water, while levels sludge vary 0.25 42.5 µg/kg. Their detection frequencies were 58%, 52% (78%) 59% hospital treatment plant effluents (influents) respectively. Predicted log Kow values vincristine, imatinib mesylate tamoxifen higher than 3 estimated half-lives>60 d waters using quantitative structure–activity relationship models, indicating high potential for persistence bioaccumulation. Based species sensitivity distribution evaluation 9 compounds, crustaceans sensitive drugs. hazardous compound cisplatin which has hazard concentration 5th percentile. For Daphnia magna, acute toxicities ranked as platinum complexes > endocrine therapy antibiotics antimetabolite alkylating agents. Using quotient analysis based primarily lowest observed effect (LOECs), cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, mesylate, bicalutamide, etoposide paclitaxel highest organisms. Further research needed identify appropriate chronic endpoints risk assessment thresholds well better understand mechanisms action multigenerational toxicity, trophic transfer ecosystems.