Environmental Monitoring and Ecological Risk Assessment of Platinum Complex Drugs in Wastewater Effluent: A Case Study in Qom, Iran

Background: The presence of anticancer drugs in water sources has become critical in recent years. Anticancer drugs are used in controlled amounts and conditions in medical centers. Cancerostatic platinum complexes (CPC) like cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin are used in oncology centers to treat many cancers. Objectives: We determined the environmental risk of these compounds in municipal wastewater effluent of Qom, Iran. Methods: The LC-MS/MS technique quantified platinum complex drugs in wastewater effluent. Based on the blank laboratory method, the limit of detection (LOD) was determined as 0.009 µg/L, 0.013 µg/L, and 0.017 µg/L for oxaliplatin, carboplatin, and cisplatin, respectively. Results: The cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin concentrations in wastewater effluent were 0.19 ± 0.098, 0.22 ± 0.094, and 0.12 ± 0.059 µg/L, respectively. Ecological risk assessment results indicated that RQswfor cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin was 0.017, 0.013, and 0.02, respectively, showing that the platinum complex drugs had insignificant ecological exposure risk. Furthermore, ΣRQsw was estimated at 1. Conclusions: Managing cytotoxic waste from hospital oncology wards is vital for environmental pollution control. The use of other methods to remove these compounds, such as advanced oxidation processes and membrane systems, is inevitable.