The presence of emerging contaminants such as pharmaceutical and personal care products in many aqueous matrices have been reported. One of such matrix is streams of wastewater, including wastewater treatment plants inflows and outflows and wastewater flow by-passing wastewater treatment plants. Their persistence arises from their resistant to breakdown, hence they may remain in the environment over long time, with a potential to cause adverse effects including endocrine disruption, gene toxicity, the imposition of sex organs, antibiotic resistance and many others in some aquatic organisms exposed to arrays of residues of pharmaceutical and personal care products. Among the treatment techniques, advanced oxidation processes have been reported to be a better technique through which these PPCPs can be degraded in the WWTPs. Heterogeneous photocatalysis using various photocatalyst immobilized on solid support such as activated carbon, graphene and carbon nanotubes in AOPs have been shown to be a viable and efficient method of PPCPs degradation. This is because, the performance of most WWTPs is limited since they were not designed to degrade toxic and recalcitrant PPCPs. This review highlight the occurrence, concentration of PPCPs in wastewater and the removal efficiency of heterogeneous photocatalysis of TiO₂ immobilized on solid supports.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are dangerous and toxic pollutants that may cause adverse effects on human and animal health, including death. POPs such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides are subtly released into the environment from industrial and agricultural use. Global circulation is due to their trans-boundary transport capacity, contingent on aerodynamic and hydrological properties. Plants have capacity to take-up POPs, and these bio-magnify along heterotrophic transfer pathways. In this study, levels of selected 6-PCB congeners and 3- DDTs in some leaf and root vegetables were investigated. Leaf and root vegetables were collected from different horticultural farms areas in Cape Town. The 6-PCBs and 3-DDTs were recovered from the samples using solid phase extraction(SPE), followed by GC-MS analysis. The ΣPCBs and ΣDDT (on-whole basis), were ranged: 90.9–234 ng/g and 38.9–66.1 ng/g respectively. The 3-PCBs and 6-DDTs levels were slightly higher in leaf vegetables compared to root vegetables. The detection of PCBs and DDTs in the vegetables suggest the probable use of PCBs containing pesticides. Although the observed concentrations were below the WHO maximum residue limits, consumption of such contaminated leaf and root vegetables portend a health risk.

The rising global demand for pharmaceuticals, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, has intensified their presence in aquatic environments. These substances, often inadequately removed by conventional wastewater treatment processes, pose serious risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health due to their persistence, potential for bioaccumulation, and ability to induce antimicrobial resistance. While commonly used pharmaceuticals such as paracetamol and ciprofloxacin have been extensively studied, critical knowledge gaps remain for compounds like azithromycin, dexamethasone, and prednisone, despite their wide therapeutic use. This study presents a comprehensive review of the occurrence, detection techniques, and ecological risks of these three pharmaceuticals of emerging concern. Using literature sourced from peer-reviewed databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, the review identifies significant gaps in current research, particularly regarding environmental monitoring in aqueous environments, transformation products, and long-term ecotoxicity. The review also discusses the limitations of existing analytical methods in detecting trace levels of these compounds. The scientific value of this work lies in its focus on understudied but environmentally relevant pharmaceuticals, providing a consolidated synthesis of fragmented data, and highlighting the urgent need for improved monitoring strategies. The study underscores the importance of expanding pharmaceutical surveillance to include these compounds and promoting the development of advanced detection technologies. Addressing these gaps is critical for protecting aquatic life, preventing the spread of resistant pathogens, ensuring water quality for human use, and fostering sustainable and resilient environmental management practices.

Fullerenes engineered nanomaterials are regarded as emerging environmental contaminants. This is as their widespread application in many consumer products, as well as natural release, increases their environmental concentration. In this work, an ultrasonic-assisted pressurized liquid extraction (UAPLE) method followed by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-visible detector (HPLC-UV-vis) was developed for extraction and determination of fullerene in sediments. The method was validated and found to be suitable for environmental risk assessment. Thereafter, the method was used for the determination of fullerene (C61-PCBM) in sediment samples collected from Umgeni River, South Africa. The current method allows for adequate sensitivity within the linear range of 0.01–4 µg g⁻¹, method limit detection of 0.0094 µg g⁻¹ and recoveries ranged between 67–84%. All the parameters were determined from fortified sediments samples. The measured environmental concentration (MEC) of fullerene in the sediment samples ranged from not detected to 30.55 µg g⁻¹. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the occurrence and ecological risk assessment of carbonaceous fullerene nanoparticles in African sediments and biosolids.

This study examined the seasonal variation of trace elements (B, Ba, Cr, Pb, Sb, Se, Zn) in soil and Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) around the Darvill Wastewater Treatment Works in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Twenty sites were sampled during wet and dry seasons and compared with control areas, Pietermaritzburg (PMB), Dumabezwe, and Mqulela sports fields. The samples were analysed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) for trace element concentrations. The results showed that trace element concentrations were significantly elevated near the Darvill Wastewater Treatment Works, especially during the dry season. Cr and Se had the highest soil levels, 1978 mg/kg and 1169 mg/kg, respectively. Only Cr showed substantial concentration in the Kikuyu grass tissue (957 mg/kg). The study evaluated the Kikuyu grass for soil remediation and trace element recovery; Cr (1.3) and Se (1.1) showed minimal bioaccumulation ability. Cr and Pb posed health risks via ingestion (hazard quotient > 1), particularly for children. Cr also showed the highest cancer risk, with total cancer risk values exceeding 1 × 10⁻⁴, and Zn posed minimal health risks. Geo accumulation index (I_geo) values showed high pollution from Cr (I_geo > 5), and moderate from Pb and Zn. Enrichment factor (EF) values for Cr and Zn (EF > 1.5) indicated anthropogenic sources; Pb (EF < 1.5) suggested a natural origin. Correlation and Pearson correlation analysis linked trace elements to sewage sludge application. The sports fields showed low trace element concentrations, suggesting minimal risk of cross-contamination during grass transfer and reduced trace element content in regrown grass.

Background/Objectives: Pharmaceutical residues in human urine have raised serious concerns about the safe reuse of urine in agriculture. The current study investigates and compares the concentrations of pharmaceuticals in urine samples collected from male patients undergoing active antiretroviral regimens and self-reported “healthy individuals” at a government hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, and determines how the residues changed during three months of ambient storage, which is the usual recommendation before use in agriculture. Methods: The urine samples were collected in a plastic bottle to prevent fecal contamination, and 15 targeted compounds were analyzed using solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The linearity ranged from 0.9910 to 0.9999, 75.5% to 99.1% for recovery, and intra-day and inter-day precision were below 6%. The urine from each group was collected into one pooled sample and then analyzed both pre- and post-storage. Results: Thirteen pharmaceuticals were detected in urine from patients on regular medication before storage; in “healthy individuals”, detections rose from eight to twelve after storage. Concentrations in the composite samples after storage were higher for some of the compounds but lower for others, including caffeine, nevirapine, prednisolone and 17α-ethinylestradiol. Metformin was highest overall at 1186.25 µg/L and remained at 806.68 µg/L after storage. The highest concentration for all the pharmaceuticals was reported for metformin, with a value of 1186.25 µg/L, occurring in the group of patients on a regular regimen. There could be a possibility that the rise can be attributed to the hydrolysis of conjugated metabolites during storage; however, no analysis of conjugates was carried out. Conclusions: This study shows the need for appropriate treatment of human urine prior to its reuse as fertilizer and echoes the importance of further research into human exposure pathways and effective pharmaceutical removal strategies.