Environmental effects of drugs

A national level seminar and poster presentation competition is being organised by the CMR College of Pharmacy on the 8th and 9th of August, 2008. I registered for it and got selected for a poster presentation. The theme for the competition is “Challenges and Opportunities in Pharmacy Profession”. My topic is entitled, “Environment – A Potential Victim of Drugs?”
It is a topic I feel very strongly about and I wanted to make sure I’d talk about it because I think spreading awareness about it is very very important to an environmentalist as well as a pharmacist.
I have decided to present my abstract here.

Drugs before being introduced into the market are tested for several years for pharmacological and toxicological studies so that their safety for humans can be guaranteed. However, we are not the only ones that may be exposed to these drugs. Human drugs may also affect animals, plants and bacteria as they can enter the environment via human excreta or by disposal of expired medicines via the sewer. A wide range of pharmaceuticals has been fond in fresh and marine waters and some compounds even in small quantities have the potential to cause harm to aquatic life which in turn adversely affect the food chain – a noteworthy example being hormone disruption in fish due to the presence of estrogens in the environment. To prevent the disruption of the food chain, the environmental and eco-toxicity studies should be evaluated along with the efficacy of pharmaceuticals and their side effects.
Precautionary safety measures may consist of specific product labelling, package insert for product storage and disposal, formulary preferences and potential for restricted use (i.e., hospital use). Through diligent monitoring, we can learn the identity, distribution, extent and environmental persistence of these chemicals. This approach can lead to a better understanding of the risk and also enhance the awareness of manufacturers and users of the impact of drugs on the environment. We need to take up this challenge so that we can prevent our environment from being the potential victim of our use of pharmaceuticals.

Let’s hope I win! And even if I don’t, let’s hope I have a lot of fun while spreading awareness about the topic!