Vol. 3 No. 2 (2025)

  • Open Access

    Article

    Article ID: 3197

    Emerging contaminants in Colombian water sources and their oncological risk: A QSAR modeling approach

    by Giovanny Jurado-Gamez, Patricia Eugenia Velez-Varela, Vanessa Jurado-Davila

    Journal of Toxicological Studies, Vol.3, No.2, 2025;

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/jts3197

    This study investigates the presence and potential oncogenic risks of pharmaceuticals as emerging contaminants in aquatic environments in Colombia. These substances enter ecosystems primarily through human and veterinary use, and are discharged via sewage and wastewater systems. A selection of pharmaceuticals found at high concentrations in effluents across different Colombian regions was identified based on a comprehensive review of indexed scientific literature. To assess their potential health impact, a Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) approach was applied to predict the toxicological behavior of each compound based on its molecular structure. The findings indicate that while many parent pharmaceuticals show relatively low carcinogenic potential, several degradation products and metabolites exhibit structural features linked to carcinogenicity. Functional groups such as nitrosamines, phenols, and epoxides—known for their genotoxic effects—were identified in some metabolites, suggesting they may damage DNA, induce mutations, and promote cancer development. These results emphasize the importance of considering both parent compounds and their transformation products in environmental health risk assessments. Long-term exposure to such contaminants may represent a significant oncological risk, reinforcing the need for stricter monitoring and predictive toxicology models like QSAR to support environmental and public health policies.

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