Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 106 (2015) 2

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Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jpba

Foreword

This Special Issue of the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis aims at offering to the interested reader an overview of the progress made so far in the detection, identification and quantification of residues and metabolites of medicinal products in environmental media, biota, foodstuff and feedstuff as well as at the workplace. Nowadays the vast production of a great variety of pharmaceuticals with their ensuing use, abuse and misuse makes such substances more and more available in the context of daily life and ultimately can cause adverse effects on human health and the environment. Hence, it is crucial not only to refine already existing analytical methods, but also to develop innovative approaches capable of reliably determining these pollutants in a variety of matrixes thus allowing the decision maker to set up fit-for-purpose strategies to properly deal with them, primarily with regard to their removal or degradation. One example would suffice to set forth the seriousness of this situation: newspapers recently reported data on the illicit use of the hard drug cocaine on the basis of documented evidence provided by the Institute for Pharmacological Research “Mario Negri” (Milan). In fact, water samples from the river Po in the vicinity of Pavia were found to contain significant concentrations of benzoylecgonine, a stable cocaine metabolite the presence of which testifies to the consumption of the parent drug at amounts twice as high. As about 5 million people reside in the area of concern, it could be easily inferred that about 40,000 doses of cocaine were consumed daily, while other approaches led to a substantially lower estimate of approximately 15,000 doses. It goes without saying that pollution from medicinal products is indeed a complex issue requiring a proactive mental attitude to be adequately faced.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2015.02.001 0731-7085/© 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.

The major merit that can thus be ascribed to this Special Issue is that it collects papers contributed by a number of internationally renowned scientists with a sound expertise in the various facets of dependable analytical processes through which residues and metabolites of pharmaceuticals can be quantitatively assessed. The twenty-six papers contained therein come from fourteen different countries this being a self-evident token of the global nature of the threat that the undue spread of the above contaminants poses to human beings and the environment alike. The Special Issue opens with an extensive systematic review authored by P. Bottoni and S. Caroli which covers the most representative articles published in this field over the past decade. The material is subdivided into five sections dealing with water, soil and sediment, biota, foodstuff and feedstuff and workplace, respectively, thus setting the stage for the following twenty-five papers where the state of the art and future trends for the determination of medicinal products are equally taken into account. The review is completed by a thorough list of abbreviations of very practical value. It is expected that the wealth of information made available by this Special Issue will stimulate further investigations within the same scope. From this viewpoint, it should be considered as a starting point rather than as a winning post. Finally, I would like to congratulate all of the authors on a job well done. Enjoy the reading! Francesco De Tomasi Past President SSFA

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