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Updated: Dec 26, 2025

Author Spotlight: Microbial Control and Monitoring Strategies for Cleanroom Environments and Cellular Therapies
Published on: March 17, 2023
Microbial transformation of widely used pharmaceutical and personal care product compounds
Abigail W Porter1, Sarah J Wolfson1,2, Max Häggblom3
1Department of Environmental Sciences, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Abstract:
Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) are commonly used chemicals that are increasingly detected in urban-impacted environments, particularly those receiving treated wastewater. PPCPs may have toxicological effects on the macrofauna that are exposed through contaminated water; thus, there is interest in microbially mediated transformations that may degrade PPCPs. This review discusses specific examples of PPCP transformations that may occur in anoxic environments, including O-methylation and O-demethylation.
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