Effective approaches to minimize the problem of pharmaceuticals and other personal care products in the environment

Studies have shown that pharmaceuticals and other personal care products (PPCPs) are present in the environment, especially in water, due to different human activities. Some of these compounds are toxic to our eco-system. Although there is no evidence of adverse human health effect from the presence of PPCPs in the environment to date , some adverse effects on aquatic life cycle already have been found. Therefore, protecting our environment as well as human health from adverse effect(s) of PPCPs is a growing concern. The objective of this thesis work was to collect information about the principal approaches available to pharmaceutical industries for reducing the introduction of PPCPs to the environment and to identify and address any divergence or disagreement about the effectiveness of these approaches to address this issue. Through the use of literature review, case studies, and in-depth interviews where necessary, consistent information has been consolidated and discrepancies have been resolved to the extent possible and this reference document has been created for the purpose of fostering the awareness about this issue and about the possible ways to minimize the problem from pharmaceutical industry perspective.