Analytical Methods in Environmental Chemistry Journal
AMECJ

A review: Analytical methods in pharmaceutical waste and its chemical hazards in environmental management

Document Type : Review article

Authors

Chinnarao Menda 1
Ramakrishna Ch. 2
V D N Kumar Abbaraju 3

1 Sr.Manager- EHS, Raks Pharma private limited, JNPC, Parawada, Anakapalli District, – 531019

2 Department of Environmental Sciences, GITAM University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA – 45

3 Department of Chemistry, GSS, GITAM University, Andhra Pradesh Visakhapatnam () INDIA Department of Chemistry, GSS, GITAM University, Andhra Pradesh Visakhapatnam (530045) INDIA

https://doi.org/10.24200/amecj.v8.i02.1014
Abstract
Pharmaceutical wastes are on the rise because of the rising population’s drug use worldwide; they have fatal repercussions on the environment and health departments. In this research, both pharmaceutical waste management and analysis were evaluated. This review presents a brief history of pharmaceutical waste. Issues, focusing on the water intake problem, and outlines measures for managing this waste. Pharmaceutical waste management has emerged as a critical challenge due to its potential to contaminate ecosystems and pose human and environmental health risks. On the other hand, analytical methods are pivotal in detecting and quantifying pharmaceutical residues in diverse environmental matrices, enabling accurate risk assessments and guiding mitigation strategies. This review explores conventional and emerging analytical techniques, including high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and biosensors, highlighting their advantages, limitations, and applications. Emphasis is placed on the need for highly sensitive and reliable detection methods to address the complexity of pharmaceutical compounds, their metabolites, and transformation products in environmental samples. By evaluating the current state of analytical methodologies, this review underscores their importance in understanding the ecological fate of pharmaceutical waste, facilitating informed decision-making for sustainable waste management practices. This study also recognizes the importance of analytical tools in discovering how pharmaceutical waste behaves in the environment so that the right choices can be made about handling environmental waste.

Graphical Abstract

A review: Analytical methods in pharmaceutical waste and its chemical hazards in environmental management

Keywords

Pharmaceutical waste
Analytical methods
Management strategies
Environmental contamination
Water Quality

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Analytical Methods in Environmental Chemistry Journal
Volume 8, Issue 2
AMEC Publisher
Spring 2025
Pages 44-64