Anthelmintics are drugs used for the treatment and prevention of diseases caused by parasitic worms (helminths). While the importance of anthelmintics in human as well as in veterinary medicine is evident, they represent emerging contaminants of the environment. Human anthelmintics are mainly used in tropical and sub-tropical regions, while veterinary anthelmintics have become frequently-occurring environmental pollutants worldwide due to intensive agri- and aquaculture production. In the environment, anthelmintics are distributed in water and soil in relation to their structure and physicochemical properties. Consequently, they enter various organisms directly (e.g. plants, soil invertebrates, water animals) or indirectly through food-chain. Several anthelmintics elicit toxic effects in non-target species. Although new information has been made available, anthelmintics in ecosystems should be more thoroughly investigated to obtain complex knowledge on their impact in various environments. This review summarizes available information about the occurrence, behavior, and toxic effect of anthelmintics in environment. Several reasons why anthelmintics are dangerous contaminants are highlighted along with options to reduce contamination. Negative effects are also outlined.

Department of Biochemical Sciences Charles University Prague Faculty of Pharmacy Heyrovského 1203 Hradec Králové CZ 500 05 Czech Republic

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Charles University Prague Faculty of Pharmacy Heyrovského 1203 Hradec Králové CZ 500 05 Czech Republic

Laboratory of Plant Biotechnologies Institute of Experimental Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Rozvojová 263 Praha 6 CZ 165 02 Czech Republic

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Biotransformation of anthelmintics in nematodes in relation to drug resistance