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Hospital Wastewaters pp 17–32Cite as

Occurrence of Common Pollutants and Pharmaceuticals in Hospital Effluents

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Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 60))

Abstract

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.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 2952 Weald Way 2523, Sacramento, CA, 95833, USA

    Tiago S. Oliveira

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Al Mustansiriya, Bab Al Mua’dam Baghdad, Iraq

    Mustafa Al Aukidy

  3. Department of Engineering, University of Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, Ferrara, 44122, Italy

    Paola Verlicchi

Authors
  1. Tiago S. Oliveira
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  2. Mustafa Al Aukidy
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  3. Paola Verlicchi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tiago S. Oliveira .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering, University of Ferrara , Ferrara, Italy

    Paola Verlicchi

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Oliveira, T.S., Al Aukidy, M., Verlicchi, P. (2017). Occurrence of Common Pollutants and Pharmaceuticals in Hospital Effluents. In: Verlicchi, P. (eds) Hospital Wastewaters. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 60. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2017_9

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