3. Potential risks associated with the presence of pharmaceutical products at concentrations found in the environment

The potential risk associated with the presence of pharmaceuticals at low concentrations in aquatic environments is currently the focus of much debate. In the aquatic environment, with the exception of steroid hormones, no in situ studies are currently available to objectively assess the role of the presence of pharmaceuticals on the disturbance of organisms or communities. Nevertheless, on the basis of current knowledge, it cannot be ruled out that, in the long term, the continued presence of pharmaceutical molecules in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems could be a source of danger [40] .

Pharmaceutical compounds are discharged continuously into the environment, so organisms are exposed to small quantities over the long term. Although these substances are found in the aquatic environment at very...