Pharmaceuticals in the environment (PIE)
Macro-regional workshop on Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PIE)– Monitoring, consumption, technologies and policies.
Pharmaceutical residues in the Baltic Sea are causing concern as the full impact for the marine environment is still unknown. The Baltic Sea ecosystem is particularly sensitive to pharmaceutical pollution because of its low biodiversity, with low functional redundancy and many species experiencing an increased physiological stress due to the brackish water environment.
The main pathway of human consumed pharmaceuticals to the marine environment is via direct discharges of effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs) in coastal areas as well as via rivers carrying effluents from inland MWWTPs. Other sources include land application of sewage sludge, whereby pharmaceuticals may leach into surface and ground waters. Pharmaceuticals also enter the environment via agriculture, aquaculture and veterinary practices.
The objective of this workshop was to jointly identify common challenges and solutions for pharmaceuticals and the environment in the Baltic Sea region, with a focus on pharmaceuticals in Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) systems.
This included
- the need and availability of analysis and monitoring methods
- Advanced WWTP technologies
- Economic and policy considerations for technology choice
The workshop programme features were based on most recent transnational cooperation in a number of transnational projects under the umbrella of the BSR Pharma platform, a flagship in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSBSR.
Workshop report and presentations: