entry pathway

Health

Entry and occurrence of human pharmaceuticals in the environment

Pharmaceutical substances have been detected in the environment in at least 89 countries around the world.

Residues of pharmaceuticals contaminate water bodies and soils worldwide. They have also been detected in groundwater and, in some cases, even in drinking water. Human pharmaceuticals enter wastewater primarily through human excretion and then pass through sewage treatment plants into water bodies. Due to increasing pharmaceutical consumption, environmental pollution is expected to rise. read more

The Umweltbundesamt

For our environment