Contribution of illicit drug use to pharmaceutical load in the environment: a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa

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dc.contributor.authorRipanda, Asha S
dc.contributor.authorRwiza, Mwemezi J.
dc.contributor.authorNyanza, Elias Charles
dc.contributor.authorMachunda, Revocatus L.
dc.contributor.authorVuai, Said Hamadi
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-23T06:23:41Z
dc.date.available2023-05-23T06:23:41Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.descriptionFull text article. Also available at https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9056476en_US
dc.description.abstractIllicit drug abuse and addiction are universal issues requiring international cooperation and interdisciplinary and multisectoral solutions. These addictive substances are utilized for recreational purposes worldwide, including in sub-Saharan Africa. On the other hand, conventional wastewater treatment facilities such as waste stabilization ponds lack the design to remove the most recent classes of pollutants such as illicit drug abuse. As a result, effluents from these treatment schemes contaminate the entire ecosystem. Public health officials are concerned about detecting these pollutants at alarming levels in some countries, with potential undesirable effects on aquatic species and increased health hazards through exposure to contaminated waters or recycling treated or untreated effluents in agriculture. Contaminants including illicit substances enter the environment by human excreta following illegal intake, spills, or through direct dumping, such as from clandestine laboratories, when their manufacturer does not follow accepted production processes. These substances, like other pharmaceuticals, have biological activity and range from pseudo persistent to highly persistent compounds; hence, they persist in the environment while causing harm to the ecosystem. The presence of powerful pharmacological agents such as cocaine, morphine, and amphetamine in water as complex combinations can impair aquatic organisms and human health. ese compounds can harm human beings and ecosystem health apart from their low environmental levels. Therefore, this article examines the presence and levels of illicit substances in ecological compartments such as wastewater, surface and ground waters in sub-Saharan Africa, and their latent impact on the ecosystem. The information on the occurrences of illicit drugs and their metabolic products in the sub-Saharan Africa environment and their contribution to pharmaceutical load is missing. In this case, it is important to research further the presence, levels, distribution, and environmental risks of exposure to human beings and the entire ecosystem.en_US
dc.identifier.citationRipanda, A. S., Rwiza, M. J., Nyanza, E. C., Machunda, R. L., & Vuai, S. H. (2022). Contribution of illicit drug use to pharmaceutical load in the environment: a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2022, 1-12.en_US
dc.identifier.otherDOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9056476
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12661/3811
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherHindawien_US
dc.subjectIllicit drugsen_US
dc.subjectIllicit drug useen_US
dc.subjectPharmaceutical loaden_US
dc.subjectDrug abuseen_US
dc.subjectDrug addictionen_US
dc.subjectAddictive substancesen_US
dc.subjectPollutantsen_US
dc.subjectPollutionen_US
dc.subjectEnvironmental risksen_US
dc.subjectEnvironmental contaminationen_US
dc.subjectContaminationen_US
dc.subjectWater contaminationen_US
dc.subjectEcosystem contaminationen_US
dc.titleContribution of illicit drug use to pharmaceutical load in the environment: a focus on Sub-Saharan Africaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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