A Review on Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment: A Focus on Active Chemicals in Sub-Saharan Africa
Active chemicals are among the contaminants of emerging concern that are rarely covered in regulatory documents in sub-Saharan Africa. These substances are neither in the list of routinely monitored substances nor in the guidelines for routine environmental monitoring activities. This has been of co...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/1/56 |
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| author | Asha S. Ripanda Mwemezi Johaiven Rwiza Elias C. Nyanza Karoli N. Njau Said A. H. Vuai Revocatus L. Machunda |
| author_facet | Asha S. Ripanda Mwemezi Johaiven Rwiza Elias C. Nyanza Karoli N. Njau Said A. H. Vuai Revocatus L. Machunda |
| author_sort | Asha S. Ripanda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Active chemicals are among the contaminants of emerging concern that are rarely covered in regulatory documents in sub-Saharan Africa. These substances are neither in the list of routinely monitored substances nor in the guidelines for routine environmental monitoring activities. This has been of concern to public health officials, toxicologists, communities, and governments, hence the need for risk assessment and regulation of these substances. In this review article, the presence of active chemicals in the sub-Saharan African environment was investigated. The results indicate the availability of few studies in some countries, while in other countries no reports of active chemicals were found, hence the need for further research targeting such countries. It was further observed that mixtures of active chemicals from different therapeutic categories—such as antibiotics and analgesics—were reported. The natural environment is increasingly at risk due to the presence of these substances, their metabolites, and their transformation byproducts. These substances are characterized by persistence as a result of their non-biodegradable nature; hence, they circulate from one environmental compartment to another through the food chain, causing harm along the way. Most studies that evaluated the toxicity of these substances considered the effects of a single drug, but observations indicated the presence of drug mixtures, hence the need for further evaluation of the effects of drug–drug interactions—including synergistic and additive effects—for environmental sustainability. The presence of ACs in several environmental compartments at quantifiable quantities was discovered in this investigation, indicating the potential for ecosystem injury as a result of bioaccumulation, bioconcentration, and biomagnification through the food chain. This necessitates further research on the subject in order to ensure a healthier environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:51:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f209d6bc5e1f4ec5aaa924a015bd5801 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:51:46Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f209d6bc5e1f4ec5aaa924a015bd58012023-11-23T11:06:56ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172021-12-011215610.3390/app12010056A Review on Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment: A Focus on Active Chemicals in Sub-Saharan AfricaAsha S. Ripanda0Mwemezi Johaiven Rwiza1Elias C. Nyanza2Karoli N. Njau3Said A. H. Vuai4Revocatus L. Machunda5The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences, Arusha P.O. Box 447, TanzaniaThe Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences, Arusha P.O. Box 447, TanzaniaDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza P.O. Box 1464, TanzaniaThe Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences, Arusha P.O. Box 447, TanzaniaDepartment of Chemistry, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, University of Dodoma, Dodoma P.O. Box 338, TanzaniaThe Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences, Arusha P.O. Box 447, TanzaniaActive chemicals are among the contaminants of emerging concern that are rarely covered in regulatory documents in sub-Saharan Africa. These substances are neither in the list of routinely monitored substances nor in the guidelines for routine environmental monitoring activities. This has been of concern to public health officials, toxicologists, communities, and governments, hence the need for risk assessment and regulation of these substances. In this review article, the presence of active chemicals in the sub-Saharan African environment was investigated. The results indicate the availability of few studies in some countries, while in other countries no reports of active chemicals were found, hence the need for further research targeting such countries. It was further observed that mixtures of active chemicals from different therapeutic categories—such as antibiotics and analgesics—were reported. The natural environment is increasingly at risk due to the presence of these substances, their metabolites, and their transformation byproducts. These substances are characterized by persistence as a result of their non-biodegradable nature; hence, they circulate from one environmental compartment to another through the food chain, causing harm along the way. Most studies that evaluated the toxicity of these substances considered the effects of a single drug, but observations indicated the presence of drug mixtures, hence the need for further evaluation of the effects of drug–drug interactions—including synergistic and additive effects—for environmental sustainability. The presence of ACs in several environmental compartments at quantifiable quantities was discovered in this investigation, indicating the potential for ecosystem injury as a result of bioaccumulation, bioconcentration, and biomagnification through the food chain. This necessitates further research on the subject in order to ensure a healthier environment.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/1/56wastewaterpharmaceutical loadenvironmental toxicologysub-Saharan Africaactive chemicalscontaminants |
| spellingShingle | Asha S. Ripanda Mwemezi Johaiven Rwiza Elias C. Nyanza Karoli N. Njau Said A. H. Vuai Revocatus L. Machunda A Review on Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment: A Focus on Active Chemicals in Sub-Saharan Africa Applied Sciences wastewater pharmaceutical load environmental toxicology sub-Saharan Africa active chemicals contaminants |
| title | A Review on Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment: A Focus on Active Chemicals in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full | A Review on Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment: A Focus on Active Chemicals in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_fullStr | A Review on Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment: A Focus on Active Chemicals in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Review on Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment: A Focus on Active Chemicals in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_short | A Review on Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment: A Focus on Active Chemicals in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_sort | review on contaminants of emerging concern in the environment a focus on active chemicals in sub saharan africa |
| topic | wastewater pharmaceutical load environmental toxicology sub-Saharan Africa active chemicals contaminants |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/1/56 |
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