This review is the only one that compiles data from Argentina (2010 to early 2025) on human and veterinary pharmaceuticals (HVPs) in aquatic environments and compares them with international findings. HVPs were detected in 25% of the territory, in biota, water, and sediments, at concentrations up to 652 μg kg⁻ 1 , 217 μg L⁻ 1 , and 34 μg kg⁻ 1 (d.w.), respectively. Ecotoxicological studies revealed adverse effects on algae, cladocerans, fish, crabs, and amphibians, including reduced survival and morphological, physiological, and behavioral alterations. This study provides an HC5 (hazardous concentration for 5% of species) value of 1.6 mg L⁻ 1 was estimated using species sensitivity distributions (SSD), with sensitivity increasing from cladocerans < green algae < amphibians. The review highlights the scarcity of long-term studies, risk assessments, and regulatory thresholds, while stressing that Argentina’s situation reflects broader challenges in Latin American countries and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which share comparable economic, social, and public health challenges. These findings support a One Health perspective, emphasizing the role of environmental quality as a factor potentially influencing human and animal health.
Kergaravat et al. (Fri,) studied this question.