Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products as Pollutants

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products as Pollutants

Introduction

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products . Products are used by citizens for personal health, for cosmetic reasons or used by agribusiness to enhance growth or health of livestock. Composed of a diverse set of thousands of chemicals, including prescription drugs, nonprescription therapeutics, veterinary drugs, fragrances and cosmetics. Studies have shown that pharmaceuticals are present in the water in our cities. Additional research suggests that certain drugs may cause ecological damage.

The EU is committed to investigate this issue and develop strategies to help protect the health of both the environment and the citizens. To date, scientists have found no evidence of adverse human health effects of these products on the environment. The drugs and cosmetics have probably been in the water and environment from the time humans have been using them. The drugs we take are not fully absorbed by the body and are excreted and passed wastewater and surface water. With the technological advances that have improved the ability to detect and quantify these chemicals, we can now begin to identify what effects, if any, that these chemicals have on human and environmental health. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products are called "PPCP" (by the acronym of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products) a few years ago, but these bioactive chemicals (substances that have effects on living tissue) have existed for decades . Its effect on the environment is now recognized as an important area of ??research.

Include:

Prescription and therapeutic

Veterinary drugs

Fragrances

Cosmetics

Sunscreen

Diagnostic agents

Nutraceuticals (eg, vitamins).

Sources:

Human activity

Residues from pharmaceutical manufacturing (well defined and controlled)

Hospital waste

Illicit drugs

Consumption of veterinary drugs, especially antibiotics and steroids

Agribusiness.

 The importance that people contribute directly to the combined load of chemicals in the environment has been little recognized.  Individuals added drug and cosmetic residues into the environment through excretion (removal of waste materials from the body), personal hygiene and disposal of unwanted pharmaceuticals to sewers and trash.  Some drugs and cosmetics are easy to break, be processed by the human body or degrade quickly in the environment, but others are not easy to break and process, so enter the domestic sewage. The excretion of unused medicines and unprocessed biologically depends on:

The composition of the individual ingredients of the drugs (certain carriers - that is, of inert material - can minimize absorption and therefore maximize excretion). The ability of individual organs to assimilate (this ability depends on the age, sex, health and individual idiosyncrasies).  Because they dissolve easily and do not evaporate at normal temperatures or pressures, way into soil and aquatic environments via sewage, treated sewage sludge (biosolids) and irrigation with reclaimed water.  Large quantities of drugs and cosmetics may enter the environment after use by people or pets.

 Sewage systems are not equipped for disposal. Currently, there are no municipal treatment plants wastewater has been specifically designed for the disposal of these chemicals or other unregulated contaminants. Effective Elimination of these treatment plants varies with the type of chemical facilities and individual wastewater treatment.

The risks are uncertain. The risks posed to aquatic organisms and humans are ...