A Review of Uptake and Translocation of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products by Food Crops Irrigated with Treated Wastewater
Abstract Concerns and knowledge of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) presence in agricultural soils have led to research efforts to assess the uptake and translocation of PPCPs into edible parts of crops. This interest stems because PPCPs can be transferred from soils to food crops due to the use of treated wastewater, also called reclaimed or recycled water, for irrigation. We identified and reviewed 28 plant uptake studies relevant to food crops irrigated with reclaimed water to better understand how PPCPs are taken and translocated in food crops. The food crops included bulb vegetables, cole crops, cucurbits, cereal grains, fruiting and leafy vegetables, herbs and spices, and roots and tuber vegetables. Of the 28 studies of reclaimed water use, 22 were conducted in controlled or greenhouse settings and 6 were field studies. The data from these studies collectively showed that PPCPs can be taken up and then translocate into edible parts of food crops at detectable levels. However, human exposure of PPCPs from food crops is expected to be low due to the smaller concentrations found in food crops. Our major knowledge gap in current understanding of PPCPs uptake by crops irrigated with reclaimed water are lack of sufficient field data as only a limited number of field studies have been conducted. As reclaimed water use is anticipated to increase to meet agriculture water demands, we suggest that additional field studies are needed to better understand the uptake and translocation of PPCPs by crops over multiple growing seasons in different parts of the world.