Reuse of treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation is growing in arid and semi-arid regions, while increasing
amounts of biosolids are being applied to fields to improve agricultural outputs. These historically under-utilized
resources contain “emerging contaminants”, such as pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), which
may enter agricultural soils and potentially contaminate food crops. In this review, we summarize recent
research and provide a detailed overview of PPCPs in the soil–plant systems, including analytical methods for
determination of PPCPs in plant tissues, fate of PPCPs in agricultural soils receiving treated wastewater irrigation
or biosolids amendment, and plant uptake of PPCPs under laboratory and field conditions. Mechanisms of uptake
and translocation of PPCPs and their metabolisms in plants are also reviewed. Field studies showed that the
concentration levels of PPCPs in crops that were irrigated with treated wastewater or applied with biosolids
were very low. Potential human exposure to PPCPs through dietary intake was discussed. Information gaps
and questions for future research have been identified in this review.