In recent decades, the combination of "pharmaceuticals" and "personal care products" (PPCPs) have been recognized as contaminants of "emerging concern" due to their persistent presence in the environment. Many PPCPs are rapidly dispersed in the environment, but their extensive and universal use determines a pseudo-persistence in aquatic and soil environments with serious ecological impacts on aquatic organisms, thus also posing a risk of selective pressure that can lead to a reduction in biodiversity. The concern for the detection of PPCPs in the environment derives from their ubiquitous presence in bodies of water, soil, and biota. For Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), the concern is greater for some of their peculiar characteristics. They are substances designed to act at very low doses, to "last" for a long time, with considerable stability that limits their biodegradability and for this reason they persist for quite a long time in the environment. SETAC Europe 34th Annual Meeting 603 In this project 300 compounds used in pharmaceutical products (such as APIs, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, dyes) will be searched in water samples. Data from the literature about their persistence, toxicity and bioaccumulation will be collected. In some specific cases, for substances considered particularly relevant, for which ecotoxicity data are not present, experimental studies will be carried out. All the data will be organized in technical sheet reporting a calculated a new presumed level of potential environmental risk. This database of concise fact sheets of PPCPs will be consulted on the web or via App for mobile devices by health professionals. The database can enable doctors, pharmacists and veterinarian, while ensuring that every patient gets the treatment they deserve, to also maintain the focus on the protection of the environment and biodiversity. Several educational initiatives will be implemented to spread the evidence that will emerge by this project which will be also open to researchers and academics of various disciplines.

Toward a greener pharmacy: preparation of factsheets on potential environmental risks of pharmaceuticals products to support the environmentally conscious prescription of medicines

Stefano Polesello
;
Marianna Rusconi
Writing – Original Draft Preparation
;
2024

Abstract

In recent decades, the combination of "pharmaceuticals" and "personal care products" (PPCPs) have been recognized as contaminants of "emerging concern" due to their persistent presence in the environment. Many PPCPs are rapidly dispersed in the environment, but their extensive and universal use determines a pseudo-persistence in aquatic and soil environments with serious ecological impacts on aquatic organisms, thus also posing a risk of selective pressure that can lead to a reduction in biodiversity. The concern for the detection of PPCPs in the environment derives from their ubiquitous presence in bodies of water, soil, and biota. For Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), the concern is greater for some of their peculiar characteristics. They are substances designed to act at very low doses, to "last" for a long time, with considerable stability that limits their biodegradability and for this reason they persist for quite a long time in the environment. SETAC Europe 34th Annual Meeting 603 In this project 300 compounds used in pharmaceutical products (such as APIs, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, dyes) will be searched in water samples. Data from the literature about their persistence, toxicity and bioaccumulation will be collected. In some specific cases, for substances considered particularly relevant, for which ecotoxicity data are not present, experimental studies will be carried out. All the data will be organized in technical sheet reporting a calculated a new presumed level of potential environmental risk. This database of concise fact sheets of PPCPs will be consulted on the web or via App for mobile devices by health professionals. The database can enable doctors, pharmacists and veterinarian, while ensuring that every patient gets the treatment they deserve, to also maintain the focus on the protection of the environment and biodiversity. Several educational initiatives will be implemented to spread the evidence that will emerge by this project which will be also open to researchers and academics of various disciplines.
2024
Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque - IRSA
risk assessment
pharmaceuticals
water
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14243/529302
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