Life cycle of medicinal compounds from life saving to life threating component in environment – Innovative use of nanotechnology for treatment

Abstract

Antibiotics are used for treatment and cure infectious diseases in human and animal’s medication. Antibiotics, classified as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), present a significant threat to human and animal health by undermining immune systems. Unabsorbed antibiotics discharged out enter in environment through wastewater and accumulate in soil for absorption in plants and groundwater. From soil and ground water these residual level antibiotics become part of food chain segments and then enter in human or animal body. These residual antibiotics causes resistance in microbes and thus these antibiotics become ineffective in treatment of diseases. Exposure to antibiotic POPs occurs through direct and indirect routes, such as consuming contaminated food like meat, milk, and vegetables, altering the body's microbial balance. Numerous scientific studies have detected residual antibiotic levels in environmental samples, emphasizing the widespread contamination. Wastewater is the most polluted ecosystem segment, acting as the primary source of antibiotic introduction, while soil ranks second, influencing antibiotic accumulation in plants and groundwater leaching. Degradation of antibiotics has been carried out by means of different type of processes like ozonation, Fenton reagent oxidation, and photocatalytic oxidation processes. The photocatalytic degradation technique is considered most appropriate for the removal of antibiotics pollutants with high mineralization rate, high efficiency, and are quite simple in operation with cost effective. Research on photocatalysts for antibiotic degradation reveals factors like light intensity, exposure time, pH, catalyst quantity, temperature, and solution clarity affecting efficacy. Although promising for removing antibiotic waste from effluents, achieving complete removal remains a challenge, necessitating investigation into photocatalyst stability and treatment mechanisms for comprehensive antibiotic elimination.