Pharmaceutical products, drugs and personal care products in European waters: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study aims to describe a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis that assesses the detection and concentration of pharmaceutical products, drugs, and personal care products in European waters. This study protocol was developed following the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA-P) statement and the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews of Interventions. We will include studies conducted on European waters of various origins (watersheds, aquifers, rivers, seas, springs, wastewaters, and drinking water). A comprehensive search strategy will be implemented in the following databases: PubMed (Medline), EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Two independent reviewers will conduct all study selection procedures, data extraction, and methodological evaluation. Any disagreements will be referred to a third reviewer. If the studies are sufficiently homogeneous, we will conduct a meta-analysis to summarize the data. We will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) to assess the certainty of the evidence. The systematic review and meta-analysis will provide valuable information about the presence and concentration of these types of contaminants in water, aiding in the development of public policies regarding prevention and decontamination measures to enhancing water quality in Europe.

Prevalence and concentration of pesticides in European waters: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

There is currently a growing interest in the so-called emerging pollutants, such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal hygiene care products, drugs, etc., whose presence in natural ecosystems is not necessarily recent, but the development in latest years of new and more sensitive methods of analysis has allowed their detection. They can be present in the natural environment, food, and many products of everyday origin, which suggests that human exposure to them is massive and universal. Therefore, the study of this type of substances is becoming one of the priority lines of research of the main agencies dedicated to the protection of public and environmental health, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) or European Union (EU). In this sense, it is of vital importance to know the nature and quantity of this type of contaminants, to establish preventive mechanisms that minimize its presence in aquatic systems, with special requirements for human consumption. This study aimed to describe a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the status of pesticides in European waters. We will search for original studies in the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, ScienceDirect databases. Prevalence studies of emerging contaminants (pesticides) in water resources (watersheds, aquifers, rivers, marine and springs), wastewaters (influent and effluent), and drinking water should be included. Two reviewers will independently screen and assess the included studies, with any disagreements being resolved by a third reviewer. We will summarize the findings using a narrative approach and, if possible, conduct a quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis). We will conduct the protocol following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. The review will summarize the current evidence on the presence of pesticides in European waters such as glyphosate, chlorpyrifos, pyrethroid pesticides, neonicotinoid pesticides, and/or fungicides, in samples of different water resources like wastewaters and drinking water. We expect that this systematic review will establish preventive mechanisms that minimize the presence of pesticides in water in the environment.