TY  - JOUR
AU  - de Fátima Soares, Míriam
AU  - Odan, Frederico Keizo
AU  - Mol, Marcos Paulo Gomes
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/04
TI  - Environmental Risk Assessment of Antiretrovirals Consumed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
JO  - Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research
SP  - 034
VL  - 06
IS  - 04
AB  - The development and utilization of pharmaceuticals, notably antiretrovirals (ARVs), have significantly enhanced both human quality of life and life expectancy. Nevertheless, the excretion of these compounds into aquatic environments, often exacerbated by inadequate sanitation infrastructure, poses considerable risks to biota. This investigation evaluated the environmental impact of 14 ARVs consumed within the municipality of Belo Horizonte (BH), Brazil. The assessment employed the Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) framework, incorporating future scenarios projected to 2050 via Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS), and utilized Sensitivity Analysis (SA) to identify the most influential variables within the ERA model. All investigated ARVs exhibited predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) exceeding 10 ng/L, except for the results from the adapted 2006 model. According to both the 2006 and 2018 models, lopinavir, maraviroc, and ritonavir warranted progression to a Phase II-Level B analysis. This indicated a potential environmental risk in the 2006 model, whereas the 2018 model suggested no such risk. In the MCS projections for 2050, all standardized ARVs indicated risk in 100% of the baseline simulation events, yielding Risk Quotients (RQ) greater than 1 for all compounds. The SA revealed that the standardized model is more sensitive to the population variable, whereas the 2006-adapted model is predominantly influenced by the excretion factor. This study underscores the imperative of assessing the environmental impact of ARVs. It highlights the necessity for implementing mitigation measures - such as enhancements in wastewater treatment and sanitation systems - to curtail the adverse effects propagated by these pharmaceuticals.
SN  - 2766-6190
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/aeer.2504034
DO  - 10.21926/aeer.2504034
ID  - de Fátima Soares2025
ER  -