Rivers, lakes and soils increasingly contaminated by drugs, cosmetics, detergents and personal hygiene products. It is the alarm launched by ISDE – the Association of Doctors for the Environment – in a detailed Position Paper which highlights the growing impact of these substances on ecosystems. And on human health.
Antibiotics and hormones, antidepressants and artificial sweeteners, disinfectants and perfumes, creams, solar filters and hair dyes: every day, an average adult uses at least nine of these products, known as PCP (personal care products).
To these are added i drugs real (bees), whose consumption is constantly growing, also driven by the aging of the population. All these compounds end up in the environment, where they accumulate in worrying quantities.
A global contamination
The study starts from important research on a global scale that monitored the presence of drugs in 258 rivers distributed all over the world. The results highlighted that in 26% of the championship sites Pharmacological active ingredients were present in concentrations higher than the levels considered safe. In addition, they were detected PPCP (Products for personal care + active pharmaceutical principles) in 260 lakes Of 44 countries And only in Europe, the PPCPs (personal care products + active pharmaceutical principles) were detected in 95 lakes distributed in 18 countries. Most of these lakes are found in Germany, Sweden And Swiss. The most frequently detected drugs in lake waters are: sulfametossazolo, caffeine, carbamazepine, ibuprofennaproxen.
But contamination does not stop at the waters: residues were also found in soils, fish, birds and plants.
One of the greatest risks? The development of antibiotic resistant bacteria, a phenomenon partly fueled by the massive use of antibiotics in farms. The European Medicinal Agency (EMA) indicates that, every year, over 6,700 tons of veterinary drugs end up in the environment through sewage and fertilizers.
Health risks, not just tumors
The exposure continues to these substances can cause neurotoxic effects, endocrine alterations, problems for the immune and reproductive system, but also tumors, liver damage, neurosviluppo and pregnancy disorders. The active ingredients applied to the skin are released during cleansing, those ingested are expelled through the urine. Everyone ends in the waste water, which are not always treated effectively.
The regulations do not keep up with scientific data – comments dr. Agostino di Ciaula, president of the ISDE scientific committee and co-author of the study.
European regulation exists, but it is inadequate: current environmental tests are designed for ‘historical’ substances, while drugs place new challenges. In addition, the combined effect of different drugs can be more dangerous than the sum of the individual effects. Some molecules are persistent and do not degrade over time by the tests. Others, although degrading, are used so frequently that they remain constantly present in the environment: It is the phenomenon of “pseudo-pedestrian”.
ISDE requests
ISDE asks for urgent interventions on several fronts:
