Presence and Distribution of Pharmaceuticals Residue in Food Products and the Food Chain

Human consumption, inappropriate disposal of medicine in households, and overuse of veterinary drugs in animal handling are some of the major causes of pharmaceutical residues entering the aquatic environment. Pharmaceutical residues have been detected worldwide in surface waters, wastewaters, groundwaters, and even drinking water at concentrations ranging from ng/L to µg/L. These substances or their metabolites, often still biologically active, are then absorbed by aquatic organisms either directly from the water or through contaminated food sources. Such long-term or even life-long exposure can then result not only in negative effects on development, physical condition, reproduction, and normal behaviour of the exposed organism, but also in accumulation of these compounds in tissues and subsequently spread through the food chain. As a result, a wide range of pharmaceuticals and/or their metabolites have been reported in bodies of aquatic invertebrates and fish, insects, and even in mammals and birds feeding on the contaminated species. Even though the issue of environmental contamination by pharmaceuticals has been highlighted in numerous scientific studies and is of a rising interest, the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment remains largely unregulated.