In many western nations, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are present in aquatic environments, raising concerns amongst chemists and toxicologists regarding their potential environmental fates and effects. However, there are few published
reports of PPCPs in environmental samples from Southeast Asia. Whilst the environmental toxicology of PPCPs is not well understood, several effects cause concern, such as feminisation or masculinisation by hormones and xenoestrogens, synergistic toxicity
from complex mixtures at low concentrations, potential creation of resistant strains in natural bacterial populations, and other
potential concerns for human health. Whilst both the presence and distributions of PPCPs in Southeast Asia and China are not well
known, observations elsewhere suggest that they may be important contaminants in the aquatic environment. This is particularly
emphasised by the enormous production and widespread use of many PPCPs in China, particularly antibiotics utilised in human
and veterinary medicine applications. This Viewpoint presents a general description of the issue, characterises the current status
of PPCP analyses and reporting in the Southeast Asian region, and proposes a recommended approach for monitoring and chemical
assessment of one group of PPCPs, antibiotics, in the aquatic environments of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta.
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