Combined Molecular Toxicity Mechanism of Emerging Pollutant Mixtures

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) compounds are vital components of daily life and modern health care. Over the past 20–25 years, a substantial amount of work has been done to elucidate the occurrence, bioaccumulation, fate, and risks of PPCPs in the environment. The ubiquity of most PPCPs in the environment and their potential deleterious effects on ecological and human health have engaged the community of scientists and government regulators. Nontarget organisms are continuously exposed to multiple PPCP compounds, and evidence for underestimated toxicity from such mixtures is mounting. Yet, increasing research around the world still focuses overwhelmingly on the molecular toxicity mechanism of a single PPCP, and scientific evidence about the combined molecular toxicity mechanism of their mixtures is limited to date. This chapter provides an overview of the "state-of-the-art" literature data on the effects and molecular toxicity mechanisms of PPCPs, with special emphasis on their mixture scenarios.