New environmental risk factors: medicinal substances into the environment and drinking water

Various studies suggest that a vast array of pharmaceuticals and mixtures of pharmaceuticals found in surface water, groundwater and drinking water. The most sources for environmental contamination are elimination of unaltered medicines from living organism, and unused drugs disposal. Detected concentrations are low but the worry is that these persistent biologically active substances pose a danger to humans, as well as aquatic organisms and their habitats are under discussion. Discussions on the research needs and the regulatory implications are also included.