Detection and quantification of residues and metabolites of medicinal products in environmental compartments, food commodities and workplaces. A review.

The toxicological assessment of medicinal products (MPs) and their residues and metabolites in the environment have become a challenging task worldwide. The contamination of environmental compartments, biota, workplace, foodstuff and feedstuff by residues and metabolites of these substances poses a risk to human health which is still far from being fully understood. On the other hand, existing analytical methods not always possess sufficient detection power to quantify residues of MPs at very low concentrations. This review sets forth some of the most significant contributions made in this field over the past decade with a special focus on novel fit-for-purpose analytical approaches for the detection, identification and quantification of these pollutants and the assessment of their noxious potential for human beings and the environment.