Pharmaceuticals are known to occur widely in the aquatic environment of industrialized countries. In developing and emerging countries, information on the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment has become more readily available in recent years. However, a concise picture on the relevant pharmaceutical, their prevailing concentrations in the environment, and their potential effects on human and ecosystem health is still elusive in these countries.
The International Society of Doctors for the Environment has suggested the topic “Environmentally Persistent Pharmaceutical Pollutants” (EPPP) for nomination as an emerging issue under the Strategic Approach on International Chemicals Management (SAICM) of the United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP).
adelphi conducted this project jointly with IWW Water Centre: The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) was consulted in its preparatory activities for a global plan of action on the treatment of persistent pharmaceuticals in the environment.
As the basis for further considerations and more concrete discussions, the goal of the current project was to clearly define the state of knowledge on the global relevance of pharmaceuticals in the environment.
The main tasks of the project were thus to
compile Measured Environmental Concentrations (MEC) of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals from all five UN regional groups,
compare regional consumption data and future trends,
assess the relevance of different emission pathways (production, use, disposal),
assess the role of infrastructure, population, pharmaceutical availability, agricultural practice, etc. on the emissions of pharmaceuticals into the environment,
provide databases and maps that could illustrate the global relevance of pharmaceuticals in the environment as an emerging issue, and
prepare possible activities for inclusion into the global plan for action.