Ecological Risk Assessment in Nexapa River by Pharmaceutical Compounds Related to COVID-19

Abstract Emerging pharmaceutical contaminants in wastewater are a significant concern, especially those extensively consumed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to identify in Nexapa River the following pharmaceuticals used in COVID-19 treatment: acetaminophen, albendazole, chloroquine, dexamethasone, diclofenac, hydroxychloroquine, and ivermectin. Solid Phase Extraction was used to extract and concentrate the target compounds from water samples. HPLC–DAD-MS was employed to identify and quantify some emerging pharmaceuticals. The ecological risk for three trophic levels was calculated: -algae, invertebrates, and fish- Two treatment scenarios were studied using the Estimation Programs Interface (EPI) Suite™ in a wastewater treatment plant, current operating conditions and hypothetical ideal operating conditions of an equivalent WWTP, in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The results indicate that treatment plant effluents are the primary source of the entry of these compounds into the aquatic environment. Among them, ivermectin was found to be the compound with the highest potential ecological risk despite its low concentration (6.17 μg L −1 ), followed by diclofenac (25.75 μg L −1 ) and paracetamol (132.89 μg L −1 ).