Tackling pharmaceutical waste in the environment
Event preview: Knappe pharma products in water
KNAPPE (Knowledge and Need Assessment of Pharmaceutical Products in Environmental Waters) is an EU-specific Support Action under the Sixth Framework Programme (priority 1.1.6.3 Global Change and Sustainable Development). It is financed by the European DG Research, and was set up because of concerns about the levels of some human and animal healthcare pharmaceutical products reported in surface waters across Europe. This problem is not unique to Europe, and exists globally.
Some of these compounds are poorly removed during wastewater treatment and are stable in the aquatic environment, which has led to their appearance in drinking water. The problem has been recognised by the scientific community and involves a wide range of stakeholders, including pharmaceutical companies, medical practitioners, pharmacists, healthcare managers, veterinarians, farmers, water treatment companies, patients and the general public.
Many of these groups are not aware of their role in determining the levels of pharmaceuticals appearing in the environment, so KNAPPE aims to consider the whole lifecycle of pharmaceuticals; from design and manufacture to appearance in environmental waters. It involves representatives of most interest groups and is charged with proposing a range of priority actions that will lower levels of pharmaceuticals in the environment, and thereby ameliorate their impact.
A conference to be held in Nîmes, in the south of France between 19-20 February 2008, will address this problem from a variety of perspectives:
- Fate of pharmaceuticals in sewage treatment plants
- Biological effects of some
degradation products
- Appropriate environmental toxicological assays for pre-
registration studies
- Green chemistry to produce materials that are less harmful in the environment
- Aspects of the management of pharmaceuticals that can reduce their release into the environment
- Identification of knowledge gaps, and development of a list of priority pollutants to guide regulators
This conference will be of relevance to all those involved in the design, development, production and marketing of pharmaceuticals, and their management within the healthcare system, as well as scientists and technologists involved in ecotoxicology, environmental monitoring, wastewater and drinking water treatment. It will provide an opportunity for various interest groups to communicate and to state their position and to learn from other actors in this area. Invited international experts will provide keynote lectures, and there are opportunities for individuals to present an oral paper or poster.
This conference will be preceded on 18 February 2008 by a linked, one-day workshop, also in Nîmes, on the occurrence of pharmaceutical products in the environment. It will include discussions of environmental analytical methods; distribution and levels of pharmaceuticals in environmental matrices; the use of indicator pollutants to predict their environmental distribution; and the options available for the
removal of these compounds in municipal sewage treatment plants.
For more information please E: ingrid.bazin@ema.fr.
SCI’s BioActive Sciences Technical Group
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