1. Pharmaceuticals: Multidimensional aspects & alternative approaches Presented by Dustin Swenson Project Strategist – Pharmaceuticals InnoVatten

2. What we know... Pharmaceuticals compounds are bioactive and persistent. They are widespread in the environment often in low, difficult-to-detect concentrations. They can form metabolites prior to excretion or be modified in the environment into different compounds. There are somewhere between 3000 and 5000 pharmaceutical compounds across scores of functional groups/modes of action (e.g. NSAIDS).

3. What does this mean? The problem is complicated. Current government policies and regulations have not resulted in control of the problem. As more pharmaceuticals enter the environment, the problem will likely grow worse. New strategies need to be developed in order to create a change.

4. Current Approach ProblemPreventionRegulationMonitoringRemovalTechnology

5. Regulatory Solutions Government policy Only Switzerland has taken direct action Other policies lack “teeth” Pharmaceutical approval Most pharmaceuticals are exempt from testing if below 1ppb expected environmental concentration (or 0.1 ppb in EU) Major pressure from public and pharmaceutical companies for “fast- tracking”

6. Monitoring Solutions Environmental monitoring Extremely expensive, time-consuming, and require investments in high- technology Mixing/cocktail effects, metabolites, or degradation products are not analyzed Risk assessment Same as above Limited research available on environmental fate & toxicity Recent study showed only 9 of 72 academic papers were considered “reliable” ( Triebskorn, R., et al., 2014. From theory to reality – Evaluation of suitable organisms and test systems for the biomonitoring of pharmaceuticals. )

7. Summary of the problem in this context...

8. Pharmaceuticals Policy

9. Technological solutions Ozone, Reverse Osmosis (RO), Micro/Nano-filtration, Activated carbon, biological filtration, etc. have all shown promise under varying conditions. No perfect solution... Much like pharmaceuticals themselves, all methods have side-effects. The most effective solution might be the most varied...

10. Multidimensional aspects Solutions do not always have to be government- mandated or privately engineered... Responsibilities of producers and users A bottom-up approach can achieve progress

11. Social Change

12. How can social change be promoted? Social change doesn’t always have to come at a revolutionary pace. Simple actions can sometimes be the most effective. We can learn from other successes...

13. Increase public awareness

14. Indirect actions In the U.S., a recent report suggested that 80% of pharmaceuticals could come from veterinary sources (mostly livestock). Modification of agricultural practices Organic farming Use of buffer zones near water courses More efficient use of pesticides (e.g. glyphosate near water)

15. Altered Approach Problem Social Change Education Thinking green PreventionRegulationMonitoringRemovalTechnology

16. Final thoughts Realization that our actions always have consequences Modernization programs should be used to reduce impact as well as improve efficiency “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke, English Parliamentarian