**2.7 Pharmaceutical compounds**

These compounds are part of the emerging pollutants in wastewater since their long-term effect on human and aquatic habitats are unknown. Compounds such as analgesics, antibiotics, anticonvulsants, anti-cancer agents, beta-blockers, contrast agents, hormones, lipid-regulators and antidepressants are pharmaceutical compounds that have recently been found in wastewater [41]. This is because human drugs are excreted either in original or metabolized form after administration. Though most pharmaceutical compounds are biologically degradable, but some product is seen in the effluent of wastewater treatment plant [41]. In effluents from a sewage treatment plants about 2 μg/L of tetracycline, ibuprofen, contrast products, caffeine, and codeine were found [42]. Likewise, Clara et al. [43] reported the presence of antibiotics (such as metronidazole, norfloxacin, and dextromethorphan (DMP)) at concentrations below 0.05 μg/L in another effluent. Studies indicate that the removal rate of antibiotic is around 50% and Bisphenol A 71%, that of analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and beta-blockers is within 30–40% because of their resistant to treatment [41].
