Ecotoxicological effects, environmental fate and risks of pharmaceutical and personal care products in the water environment: A review

Highlights: • Many PPCPs have been found to be toxic or even highly toxic to aquatic organisms. • Many PPCPs have bioaccumulation potential. • The environmental behavior and risk assessment of PPCPs in aquatic were described. • The environmental safety of PPCPs to aquatic organisms deserves attention. Due to the extensive use and incomplete removal, pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) are introduced into the water continuously. It has been proved that the unique properties of PPCPs are influential to organisms and the environment, and gradually affect human health. In this paper, the toxicological effects of typical PPCPs, and the environmental behavior of PPCPs in aquatic are reviewed. The risk assessments of PPCPs in the water are summarized. The research directions of environmental toxicology research of PPCPs in the future are proposed. Many PPCPs were found to be toxic or even highly toxic toward aquatic organisms, and have the potential for bioaccumulation. It is essential to study the acute and long-term toxicity of PPCPs and their metabolites, evaluate the environmental behaviors and make a reasonable assessment of ecotoxicology and human health risks of PPCPs.