Platinum-Based Cytostatics Used in Oncology with Respect to Environmental Fate and Innovative Removal Strategies of Their Metabolites

Pt complexes have been used in human and veterinary oncology for more than 50 years and represent one of the most significant groups of cytostatics. There are a lot of Pt-based compounds, such as cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin, which exhibit high efficiency against many tumors. Their broad application in oncology medicine and improper waste disposal induce environmental pollution by platinum cytostatics and their metabolites. They can cause toxic effects to fauna and flora, even at low concentration levels. Currently used technologies for wastewater treatment are not sufficient in the case of platinum-based metabolites. Their high resistance and toxicity of their degradation byproducts pose a serious problem. In this review, currently applied platinum-based cytostatics, their possible metabolic mechanisms, environmental impact and technological methods for their removal from wastewater and patients' urine are summarized. Special attention is paid to adsorption methods.