The issue of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the water environment has gained increasing interest worldwide. To determine the nature and extent of this problem for Poland, this paper presents a review of research on the presence of PPCPs in Poland, looking at results for different water samples, including wastewater (before and after treatment), landfill leachate, surface water (standing water bodies and rivers), seawater, groundwater and drinking water. The review is based on over 50 scientific articles and dissertations referring to studies of PPCPs. It also briefly outlines possible sources and the fate of PPCPs in the aquatic environment. The review of Polish research has revealed that studies have previously covered at least 39 PPCP groups (270 compounds in total). These studies focused mainly on wastewater and rivers, and only a few concerned landfill leachate and seawater. They most often reported on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics. The highest concentrations of the analysed PPCPs were found mainly in raw wastewater (e.g., naproxen, up to 551,960 ng/L), but they were also occasionally found in surface water (e.g., azithromycin, erythromycin, irbesartan and metoprolol) and in groundwater (e.g., N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, known as DEET, up to 17,280 ng/L). Extremely high concentrations of bisphenol A (up to 2,202,000 ng/L) and diclofenac (up to 108,340 ng/L) were found in landfill leachate. Although numerous substances have been detected, PPCPs are still not monitored regularly, which makes it difficult to obtain a clear understanding of their incidence in the water environment.

Groundwater quality and human health assessment in the vicinity of landfills can be performed with the use of numerous index methods. The aim of this paper is to present the results of the Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) and Health Risk Assessment (HRA) in the vicinity of a municipal landfill complex for monitoring data from 1995, 2003, 2010, and 2021 and in the context of average statistical data about Poles. The calculations take into account an extended range of parameters, including sulphates, chlorides, and ammonium ions. The calculation results for the Horizontal ratio indicate that it should not be used for all parameters. This was mainly reflected in the low sulfate content of the water monitored by a piezometer directly below the old landfill. Other indicators, reaching as high as around 2000 (the Nemerow Pollution Index) or approx. 18,000 (the enrichment factor), confirm the negative impact of the landfill. The Hazard Index values reached almost 700, which would indicate a high risk to human health when consuming water with similar parameters. Overall, the results illustrate that using the selected indices to assess groundwater risk can be a valuable method for supporting long-term observations of groundwater quality, which can be used to make predictions using artificial intelligence methods.

This paper addresses groundwater pollution and the potential presence of pesticides within the catchment areas of two reservoirs that are sources of drinking water. The two reservoirs are Goczałkowice and Kozłowa Góra, both in Southern Poland. Agricultural and rural areas dominate both catchments. Archival data showed local groundwater contamination with nitrates. This indicated the possible presence of pesticides in shallow groundwater. In total, 13 groundwater samples from shallow sandy aquifers were collected. All the samples were tested for the presence of 35 organophosphate pesticides and 28 organochlorine pesticides. Additionally, in order to determine the current groundwater conditions, physicochemical parameters were measured in the field, and water samples were subjected to analysis of their chemical composition (incl. the determination of nitrates). The research outcomes showed that pesticides were not detected above the detection limits in any of the samples. Due to variations in the persistence and degradation rates of pesticides, the occurrence of these substances in the groundwater environment and the possibility of their migration to aquifers should not be completely excluded. Natural processes and factors (e.g., sorption, biodegradation, hydrolysis and redox conditions) may gradually reduce the pesticide concentrations in groundwater. The chemical analyses revealed high concentrations of nitrates in the groundwater. This suggests the possible influence of agriculture and fertilizer application on groundwater quality; however, a proportion of NO₃^- ions may be connected with improper sewage management within the two catchments. The absence of pesticides in groundwater impacted by agriculture may result from processes occurring in the aquifer and the rapid degradation of these compounds due to photolysis and prevailing weather conditions. In the vicinity of dwellings, nitrates also originate from domestic wastewater. Thus, the occurrence of pesticides in groundwater contaminated with NO₃ cannot always be expected.

Groundwater quality assessment in the region of potential pollution sources can be performed through the use of index-based methods. The aim of this paper was to present the results of the groundwater quality assessment in the region of the zinc smelter in Miasteczko Śląskie (southern Poland) for the Quaternary aquifer based on monitoring data from 2000, 2011, and 2022. The following parameters were used in the analysis: Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn. Three indices were calculated, i.e., the landfill water pollution index (LWPI), heavy metal pollution index (HPI), and metal index (MI). The values of the indicators suggest that in the described study area, there are waters that are under the strong influence of the zinc smelter infrastructure and landfills. The highest values obtained are about 17 for LWPI, about 66 for HPI, and about 133 for MI. These values indicate significant anthropogenic pollution of the groundwater of the Quaternary aquifer in the study area. Taking into account the values obtained for all three indices, it can be concluded that the HPI indicator is the least reliable due to the need to select two limit values (background and ideal content in waters for each of the parameters), which would suggest that in some cases, waters are not very contaminated. The other two indices show similarities (mainly in their spatial distribution), and only the choice of parameters determines which of the indices should be used. A comparison of the results of local groundwater quality monitoring with the results of the calculated indices indicate that the values of the calculated MI indices are closest to the actual water quality status.

The application of combined research methods, such as hydrochemical and isotopic analyses, facilitates understanding of the origin of water constituents and migration of contaminants in the aquatic environment. The presented study attempts to identify contamination sources affecting water quality within the Kozłowa Góra reservoir catchment area (southern Poland). A total of 100 water samples were collected from surface water (the Brynica river, streams, and the reservoir) and groundwater (a Quarternary aquifer) in four time periods. During fieldwork, the physicochemical parameters were measured (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, redox potential, and dissolved oxygen). The chemical analysis included the determination of major ions (HCO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, Cl⁻, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, and K⁺), nutrients (NO₃⁻, NO₂⁻, NH₄⁺, and PO₄³⁻), and total organic carbon. The study was complemented by isotopic analysis of sulphur and oxygen in sulphate, which enabled a more precise identification of stressors affecting water quality in different parts of the catchment area. Chemical and isotopic results (δ³⁴S = 4.38–13.99‰; δ¹⁸O 3.59–13.30‰) revealed that wastewater discharges and agricultural activities have a significant influence on the chemistry of the Brynica River and other streams. At some sampling points, a lower quality of water was manifested by elevated concentrations of NO₃⁻ (up to 22.6 mg/L) and several other ions (e.g., up to 114 mg/L for Cl⁻, up to 51.52 mg/L for NH₄⁺, and 12.5 mg/L for PO₄³⁻). The quality of groundwater was deteriorated mainly by infiltration of sewage from leaky septic tanks. The level of groundwater contamination varied depending on the location, as higher concentrations of major ions and values of electrical conductivity were observed in residential areas. The Brynica river, streams, and groundwater recharge the drinking water reservoir, and thus its quality depends on these sources. A dilution of water and the presence of biochemical processes led to a reduction of contaminant concentrations in the Kozłowa Góra reservoir (down to 3.5 mg/L for NO₃⁻, 32 mg/L for Cl⁻, 0.21 mg/L for NH₄⁺, and <0.05 mg/L for PO₄³⁻) compared to water in the river and streams supplying the reservoir. The study revealed the role of wastewater discharge and agricultural activities in the evolution of surface water chemistry. The results will be used in further research on the origin and migration of other substances in water, including microcontaminants.