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As incidence of cancer increases globally, the use of cancer drugs is also growing at a rate of approximately 10 percent per year in developed countries.
Pharmaceuticals significantly contribute to the improvement of human health; however, their environmental impacts have also become a major concern.
Among the many molecules used to treat cancers are cytostatics.
As defined by the United States’ National Institutes of Health (NIH), a cystostatic is “a substance that slows or stops the growth of cells, including cancer cells, without killing them.”
When a cancer patient takes these drugs, the chemicals in them, including cytostatics, are eventually evacuated through the patients’ solid and liquid waste.
2024-05-18 22:51:03
Link from phys.org