Control Measures and Risk Management

The major pharmaceuticals concentrations present in the water system can be decreased through natural processes like biological degradation, solar photo degradation, adsorption drinking water or even during the wastewater treatment processes. In spite of their exclusive pharmacological properties, pharmaceuticals respond to treatment in a different way from other organic chemicals, with removal rates depending on their physicochemical properties and the respective treatment technology being used. Conventional water treatment processes like chlorination, can remove about 50% of these compounds, while more advanced treatment processes, namely ozonation, activated carbon, advanced oxidation, reverse osmosis and nanofiltration, are able to achieve higher removal rates. For example, reverse osmosis process has the ability to remove more than 99% of large pharmaceutical molecules. The most relevant approach to decrease the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking-water and reduce human exposure is to avoid and/or decrease their entry into the water environment. This reduction could be attained through combined preventive measures which includes enhanced communication to the public on rational drug use and proper disposal of pharmaceuticals (for example, to avoid flushing of unused drugs down to the toilet), education for prescribers and systematic drug take-back programmes (awareness programmes). In line with the water safety plan, the principle aim is to control contaminants at the source. It would be appropriate to investigate the improvement in wastewater treatment for the removal of the pharmaceutical substance and other harmful contaminants of concern from their major path of entry into the water bodies.