Sartans: What they are for, how they degrade, where they are found and how they transform

Sartans are chemical compounds with antagonistic action towards the AT1 receptors of angiotensin II, a multifunctional peptide with vasoconstrictor action and one of the main peptides responsible for regulating blood pressure. Losartan (progenitor of the group), valsartan, irbesartan, candesartan, eprosartan, telmisartan and a few other compounds belong to this class. The use of sartans, introduced in the mid-90s of the last century, has quickly spread mainly due to the alleged reduction in the incidence of certain adverse effects of varying severity (cough, angioedema) associated with the intake of ACE inhibitors. Their very strong commercial success together with their low metabolic degradation and high environmental persistence has consecrated them as emerging pollutants in just 20 years. This review presents a complete picture of sartans in relation to their chemical structure, chemical-physical properties and by-products in aqueous solutions as well as under oxidative and photodegradative conditions, their environmental presence and knowledge known to date and their fate in wastewater treatment plants.