Analytical methods for the quantification of pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical compounds have been detected at trace concentrations ranging from ng/L to µg/L in different environmental systems and considering the threat that these substances present to non target organisms, the development and the optimization of analytical methods for their identification and quantification are crucial. A condensed evaluation on analytical methods such as high performance liquid chromatography or gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry is presented, as well as a review on the main studies on the pharmaceuticals contamination issue and respective sample collection process and analytical method employed. Particular attention is devoted to immunoassay techniques.