Reviewing the serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) footprint in the aquatic biota: uptake, bioaccumulation and ecotoxicology

Abstract

Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) antidepressants are amongst the most prescribed pharmaceutical active substances throughout the world. Their presence, already described in different environmental compartments such as wastewaters, surface, ground and drinking waters, and sediments, and their remarkable effects on non-target organisms justify the growing concern about these emerging environmental pollutants. A comprehensive review of the literature data with focus on their footprint in the aquatic biota, namely their uptake, bioaccumulation and both acute and chronic ecotoxicology is presented. Long-term multigenerational exposure studies, at environmental relevant concentrations and in mixtures of related compounds, such as oestrogenic endocrine disruptors, continue to be sparse and are imperative to better know their environmental impact.

Keywords: Bioaccumulation; Ecotoxicology; Environmental contaminants; Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors; Uptake.