Occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PPCPs) and pesticides in African water systems: A need for timely intervention

Charles Obinwanne Okoye; Emmanuel Sunday Okeke; Kingsley Chukwuebuka Okoye; Daniel Echude; Felix Attawal Andong; Kingsley Ikechukwu Chukwudozie; Henrietta Ukamaka Okoye; Chigozie Damian Ezeonyejiaku

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09143

Occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PPCPs) and pesticides in African water systems: A need for timely intervention

Heliyon. 2022 Mar 18;8(3):e09143. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09143. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Authors

Charles Obinwanne Okoye^{1

2

3

4}, Emmanuel Sunday Okeke^{3

5

6

4}, Kingsley Chukwuebuka Okoye^{3

7

4}, Daniel Echude^{1

4}, Felix Attawal Andong¹, Kingsley Ikechukwu Chukwudozie^{8

4}, Henrietta Ukamaka Okoye⁹, Chigozie Damian Ezeonyejiaku¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Ecology and Environmental Biology Unit, Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 410001, Nigeria.
² Biofuels Institute, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China.
³ School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China.
⁴ Organization of African Academic Doctors (OAAD), Off Kamiti Road, 25305000100, Nairobi, Kenya.
⁵ Natural Science Unit, School of General Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 410001, Nigeria.
⁶ Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 410001, Nigeria.
⁷ Entomology Unit, Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 410001, Nigeria.
⁸ Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 410001, Nigeria.
⁹ Social Policy Unit, Department of Public Administration and Local Government, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 410001, Nigeria.
¹⁰ Bioconservation Unit, Department of Zoology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, 5025, Nigeria.

Abstract

The occurrence of emerging contaminants (ECs) such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PPCPs) and pesticides in the aquatic environment has raised serious concerns about their adverse effects on aquatic species and humans. Because of their toxicity and bioactive nature, PPCPs and pesticides have more potential to impair water systems than any other contaminants, causing several adverse effects, including antibiotic resistance, reproductive impairment, biomagnification, bioaccumulation, etc. Over 35 publications from Africa have reported on the occurrence and fate of PPCPs and pesticides in African water systems with little or no data on remediation and control. As a result, adequate intervention strategies are needed for regulating the persistence of PPCPs and pesticides in African water systems.

Keywords: African water systems; Emerging contaminants; Remediation.

Publication types

Review