Occurrence of common pollutants and pharmaceuticals in hospital effluents

This chapter summarizes the current knowledge on the occurrence of common pollutants and pharmaceuticals in hospital effluents. These common pollutants include a myriad of biological, inorganic and organic pollutants. Daily and weekly concentration variability is presented for many of the covered pollutants. Particular attention is given to heavy metals (gadolinium and platinum) and pharmaceuticals commonly used in hospitals. For pharmaceuticals, the prevalent therapeutic categories are presented and are found to be dependent on the type of healthcare facility – general hospital, specialized hospitals, wards, and units.