*Review* **Selected Pharmaceuticals in Di** ff**erent Aquatic Compartments: Part I—Source, Fate and Occurrence**

#### **André Pereira \*, Liliana Silva, Célia Laranjeiro, Celeste Lino and Angelina Pena**

LAQV, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Bromatology and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Polo III, Azinhaga de Stª Comba, Coimbra, 3000-548, Portugal; ljgsilva@hotmail.com (L.S.); celialaranjeiro@gmail.com (C.L.); cmlino@ci.uc.pt (C.L.); apena@ci.uc.pt (A.P.) **\*** Correspondence: andrepereira@ ff.uc.p<sup>t</sup>

Academic Editor: Jolanta Kumirska Received: 29 January 2020; Accepted: 21 February 2020; Published: 25 February 2020

**Abstract:** Potential risks associated with releases of human pharmaceuticals into the environment have become an increasingly important issue in environmental health. This concern has been driven by the widespread detection of pharmaceuticals in all aquatic compartments. Therefore, 22 pharmaceuticals, 6 metabolites and transformation products, belonging to 7 therapeutic groups, were selected to perform a systematic review on their source, fate and occurrence in di fferent aquatic compartments, important issues to tackle the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The results obtained evidence that concentrations of pharmaceuticals are present, in decreasing order, in wastewater influents (WWIs), wastewater e ffluents (WWEs) and surface waters, with values up to 14 mg L−<sup>1</sup> for ibuprofen in WWIs. The therapeutic groups which presented higher detection frequencies and concentrations were anti-inflammatories, antiepileptics, antibiotics and lipid regulators. These results present a broad and specialized background, enabling a complete overview on the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic compartments.

**Keywords:** environmental contaminants; pharmaceuticals occurrence; pharmaceuticals; aquatic compartments
