A Survey of Occurrence and Risk Assessment of Pharmaceutical Substances in the Great Lakes Basin

The present study is an overview of the literature on the occurrence and potential risks of pharmaceutical substances in the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), natural waters and drinking water treatment plants served by the Great Lakes Basin (Canada and the USA) between the years of 2007–2012. Large number of pharmaceutical substances, including anti-inflammatories, lipid regulators, antidepressants, antibiotics, beta blockers, anti-epileptics, anti-hypertensions and stimulants, in high ng/L concentrations, has been reported in the WWTP influents. Most of these compounds have also been detected in the WWTP effluents at comparable concentrations with the exception of caffeine, cotinine and salicylic acid suggesting the inefficiency of conventional treatment processes in the degradation of pharmaceutical compounds. Decreasing surface water concentrations have been observed with the distance downstream of the discharge point due to the dilution effect. Surface waters located around septic systems and agric...