Problems are caused by pharmaceutical residues entering drinking water, rivers and waste water effluents. This raises difficult issues for public health professionals, while the water industry needs innovative and sustainable technologies to deal with them.
Strict regulation surrounding wastewater discharges, combined with heightened understanding from research about the damage being done to the environment and public health by pharma residues and other persistent 'priority' chemicals is an area which urgently needs to be addressed by the industry, utility companies and health service. Thirty three compounds are currently on the list of priority substances for which environmental quality standards were set in 2008, including plant protection products, biocides, metals and other groups such as Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs: mainly incineration by-products) and Polybrominated Biphenylethers (PBDEs, used as flame retardants). Europe aims to progressively reduce the level of pollution for these, which are known to be toxic, persist in the environment and tend to bioaccumulate in the food chain - many have been shown to be associated with endocrine disruption, or be mutagenic, tetragenic, carcinogenic or neurologically damaging.
This event is being staged to highlight the scale of these issues, and also identify ways in which we can make a significant difference to public health concerns, as well as heading off the risks posed to Scotland’s international reputation as a pristine location, with food and drink of a quality to match.
Importantly, there are significant opportunities here for businesses to provide technologies and services to reduce the risks, and be part of building Scotland’s reputation as a World leader in research and good practice in this sector.
Strict regulation surrounding wastewater discharges, combined with heightened understanding from research about the damage being done to the environment and public health by pharma residues and other persistent 'priority' chemicals is an area which urgently needs to be addressed by the industry, utility companies and health service. Thirty three compounds are currently on the list of priority substances for which environmental quality standards were set in 2008, including plant protection products, biocides, metals and other groups such as Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs: mainly incineration by-products) and Polybrominated Biphenylethers (PBDEs, used as flame retardants). Europe aims to progressively reduce the level of pollution for these, which are known to be toxic, persist in the environment and tend to bioaccumulate in the food chain - many have been shown to be associated with endocrine disruption, or be mutagenic, tetragenic, carcinogenic or neurologically damaging.
This event is being staged to highlight the scale of these issues, and also identify ways in which we can make a significant difference to public health concerns, as well as heading off the risks posed to Scotland’s international reputation as a pristine location, with food and drink of a quality to match.
Importantly, there are significant opportunities here for businesses to provide technologies and services to reduce the risks, and be part of building Scotland’s reputation as a World leader in research and good practice in this sector.
