As incidence of cancer increases globally, the use of cancer drugs is also growing at a rate of approximately 10 percent per year in developed countries.
As incidence of cancer increases globally, the use of cancer drugs is also growing at a rate of approximately 10 percent per year in developed countries.
Pharmaceuticals significantly contribute to the improvement of human health; however, their environmental impacts have also become a major concern.
Among the many molecules used to treat cancers are cytostatics.
As defined by the United States’ National Institutes of Health (NIH), a cystostatic is «a substance that slows or stops the growth of cells, including cancer cells, without killing them.»
When a cancer patient takes these drugs, the chemicals in them, including cytostatics, are eventually evacuated through the patients’ solid and liquid waste.
A patients’ waste ends up in the hospital or domestic wastewater system, where the chemicals in it are not entirely eliminated by end of pipe wastewater treatment plants. These chemicals can then find their way into aquatic ecosystems, and even our drinking water supply, at varying concentrations.
Cytostatic drugs are now classified as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) due to their hazardous environmental impact.
The message is clear: this problem is only going to get worse as more people use cancer drugs.
Cytostatic drugs, while essential for cancer treatments, pose significant hazards to all life—and especially to aquatic organisms.
The continuous release of pharmaceuticals into aquatic ecosystems (even at low levels) can reduce surface water quality, endanger biodiversity and disrupt ecosystem functioning.
