Evaluation of the aquatic toxic effect varied during the degradation of capecitabine under the environmental abiotic and biotic processes

Environmental risk due to the growing use of anticancer drugs has drawn wide public concern. The present study investigates whether the degradation of CAP under an abiotic process (UV irradiation) and two biotic processes (the action of green algae and sludge) occurred and evaluates the aquatic toxicity of CAP during these environmental processes. Our results indicated that CAP was completely degraded within 20 min after UV irradiation with no significant change in the content of total organic carbon (TOC). Aquatic toxicity assessment indicated that the toxicity increased if CAP underwent the UV irradiation process. In addition, CAP was persistent with the action of green algae and sludge, while the toxicity of CAP decreased after the biotic process, which is attributed to the action of the sludge. The green alga did not play a crucial role in the detoxification.