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This escalating problem necessitates a careful examination of the risks associated with the presence of pharmaceuticals in water sources. The present study analysed samples from eight wastewater treatment plants in an Arabian Peninsula nation. Sixty-nine percent of pharmaceuticals were partially or fully removed, while 31% showed higher effluent concentrations, indicating potential accumulation post-treatment. The highest detected pharmaceuticals were paracetamol (1300\u2009\u00b1\u20098\u00a0ng\/L), metformin (1100\u2009\u00b1\u200970\u00a0ng\/L) in effluent, and mefenamic acid (630\u2009\u00b1\u20093\u00a0ng\/L), captopril (560\u2009\u00b1\u200911\u00a0ng\/L), and amitriptyline (510\u2009\u00b1\u20091\u00a0ng\/L) in influents. For radiopharmaceuticals, influent activity exceeded that in effluents, with Ga-67 being the most prominent (influent, 0.28\u2009\u00b1\u20090.07\u00a0Bq\/L; effluent, 0.22\u2009\u00b1\u20090.02\u00a0Bq\/L). Sludge samples showed higher radioactivity levels than wastewater samples, primarily from I-131 at 5\u2009\u00b1\u20092\u00a0Bq\/kg. The data obtained from this study will enable the assessment of potential hazards posed by pharmaceutical mixtures in the receiving environment in a hitherto less studied region.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Graphical abstract<\/jats:bold>\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s11356-025-36287-6","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,7]],"date-time":"2025-04-07T22:13:08Z","timestamp":1744063988000},"page":"9844-9871","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Pharmaceuticals and radiopharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment plants: insights from an Arabian Peninsula nation"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"32","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3994-942X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ali","family":"Alfarsi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3175-9867","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anupama","family":"Kumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8720-0659","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abbasher M.","family":"Gismelseed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9498-9934","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahlam","family":"Al Azkawi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-6673-9686","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marwa","family":"Al Mahdouri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-4252-4610","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fadhila N.","family":"Al Mabsali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-8506-7791","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sathish","family":"Babu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yaqoob","family":"Al Harthy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-3143-250X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muna","family":"Al Hosni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6327-4581","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dayanthi","family":"Nugegoda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"36287_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Abramova AA, Isakov VG, Nepogodin AM, Grakhova EV, & Dyagelev MY (2020) Classification of antibiotics contained in urban wastewater. 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