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Review
. 2023 Jun:33:100457.
doi: 10.1016/j.coesh.2023.100457. Epub 2023 Mar 10.

The occurrence of emerging compounds in real urban wastewater before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Cali, Colombia

Eliana M Jiménez-Bambague  1 , Carlos A Madera-Parra  1 , Fiderman Machuca-Martinez  2
Affiliations
Review

The occurrence of emerging compounds in real urban wastewater before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Cali, Colombia

Eliana M Jiménez-Bambague et al. Curr Opin Environ Sci Health. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is considered one of the most significant global disasters in the last years. The rapid increase in infections, deaths, treatment, and the vaccination process has resulted in the excessive use of pharmaceuticals that have entered the environment as micropollutants. Considering the prior information about the presence of pharmaceuticals found in the wastewater of Cali, Colombia, which was collected from 2015 to 2022. The data monitored after the COVID-19 pandemic showed an increase in the concentration of analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs of up to 91%. This increase was associated with the consumption of pharmaceuticals for mild symptoms, such as fever and pain. Moreover, the increase in concentration of pharmaceuticals poses a highly ecological threat, which was up to 14 times higher than that reported before of COVID-19 pandemic. These results showed that the COVID-19 had not only impacted human health but also had an effect on environmental health.

Keywords: Analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs; COVID-19; Colombia; Ecological threat; Hazard quotient.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Fiderman Machuca reports financial support was provided by Ibero-American Program of Science and Technology for Development.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
Minimum, average, and maximum concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds.
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WWTP location.tif
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