This story is from November 19, 2019

Risks from pharma residue in water unassessed: Oecd

Risks from pharma residue in water unassessed: Oecd
(Representative image)
MUMBAI: Risks from pharmaceutical residues entering the environment are not being assessed, thereby endangering freshwater ecosystems. According to a report released by Oecd, a majority of about 2,000 active ingredients used in human and veterinary pharmaceuticals have never been evaluated for environmental risks. Several dozen new active ingredients are typically approved for use every year.
The report warns the pharma industry and policymakers that too little is being done to prevent pharmaceutical residues seeping into water supplies and the food chain.
The report, Pharmaceutical Residues in Freshwater: Hazards and Policy Responses, says that the residues can enter the environment during the manufacture, use and disposal of medicines.
After medicines are ingested, between 30% and 90% of the ingredients are excreted as active substances. Some unused medicines are disposed, going into landfill or sewage systems. In the US, a about one-third of 4 billion medicines prescribed each year end up as waste.
Conventional wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove pharmaceuticals, and water resources are not systematically monitored for residues. High levels of residues have been found downstream of drug manufacturing plants. Veterinary pharmaceuticals used in farming and aquaculture enter waterbodies directly or via surface runoff without treatment.
As pharmaceuticals are designed to interact with living organisms at low doses, even low concentrations can affect freshwater ecosystems. There is growing evidence of negative impact, with laboratory and field tests showing traces of oral contraceptives causing feminisation in fish and amphibians, and residues of psychiatric drugs altering fish behaviour.
The report estimates that 10% of pharmaceuticals have the potential to cause environmental harm — hormones, painkillers and antidepressants are the biggest concerns. Unless adequate measures are taken to manage risks, the situation is set to worsen as the use of pharmaceuticals rises with ageing populations, advances in healthcare, rising meat and fish production, and as emerging countries increasingly administer antibiotics to livestock, the report warns.

The report says countries should increase monitoring and reporting of pharmaceutical residues in the environment, consider environmental risks in the authorisation process, provide incentives to design medicines that do not accumulate or harm the environment, and reduce drugs entering the environment. Take-back systems to return unused or expired medicines for safe disposal should be mooted.
The report also suggests that awareness among the public, doctors and vets needs to increase to reduce excessive consumption, and wastewater treatment plants should be upgraded with technology to remove pharmaceuticals.
A rise in antibiotic content in wastewater, which is fuelling the spread of drug-resistant microbes, has been discussed at the G20 level too.
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