Cancer treatment drugs and endocrine-disrupting chemicals release and fate in hospital wastewater

Abstract Water is a critical necessity and every life form is dependent on it. Wastewater is the liquid waste generated by anthropogenic activities (e.g., industrial, domestic, commercial, agriculture activities), which alters the physical, chemical, and biological quality of water. Hospital wastewater (HWW) contains different chemical and biological agents such as pharmaceuticals, disinfectants, endocrine disrupters, radioisotopes, and microbial pathogens. In most of the cases, HWW is directly discharged without any prior treatment, and it poses serious threat to the living organisms and environment. This chapter introduces different types of contaminants present in HWW with particular focus on cancer treatment drugs and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Subsequently, their fate and their effects on living organisms have been addressed. Moreover, the possible treatment of HWW along with the problems associated with different treatment techniques has been mentioned. Different approaches to attain pharmaceutical-free treated water along with parameters which need to be modulated in current treatment options have also been discussed in this chapter.