start – Management Strategies for Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water

The project start was dedicated to developing precautionary action strategies to reduce the input of active pharmaceutical ingredients into water bodies.

Research approach

Taking the life cycle of a drug as their starting point, scientists looked at three potential areas to which solutions could be applied: the development of drugs, the use of drugs, and emission control in residential water management. Integrated strategies combining aspects of the natural and social sciences were developed in several transdisciplinary work stages. Through stakeholder processes the research team enlisted the help of players such as doctors, dispensing chemists, the pharmaceutical industry, water works, etc.

Background

Following intake of drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients partially pass out of the body with the urine and can end up in the environment via municipal wastewater. In fact significant concentrations have already been identified in almost all surface waters of Germany and to some extent also in aquifers. Individual active ingredients are already being found at trace concentration levels even in drinking water.

Project partners

• Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
• Institut für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse (ITAS)
• Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
• Institut für Umweltmedizin und Krankenhaushygiene, Sektion Angewandte Umweltforschung
• J. W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main: Institut für Physische Geografie, Institut für Atmosphäre und Umwelt, Institut für Ökologie, Evolution und Diversität

Practice partners

• Arzneimittelkommission der Deutschen Apotheker, Eschborn
• Arzneimittelkommission der Deutschen Ärzteschaft, Berlin
• badenova AG & Co. KG, Freiburg
• Barmer Ersatzkasse, Landesgeschäftsstelle Hessen, Frankfurt am Main
• Bayer HealthCare AG, Wuppertal
• Bundesverband Verbraucherzentralen e.V., Berlin
• Deutsche Vereinigung des Gas- und Wasserfachs e.V. (DVGW)
• Deutscher Berufsverband der Umweltmediziner, Würzburg
• Emschergenossenschaft/Lippeverband, Essen
• Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Schweiz
• genanet/ Life e. V., Frankfurt am Main
• Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Schweiz
• Rheingütestation Worms
• Stockholm City Council, Stockholm, Schweden
• Umweltbundesamt Dessau

Funding

Federal Ministry of Education and Research, funding programme Social Ecological Research