As the use of pharmaceuticals increases, increasing amounts of drug residues end up in sewage treatment plants. They can be harmful for fish, for example, and they can end up in soil through the utilization of wastewater sludge. Environmental drug load can be reduced by introducing more advanced treatment method and reducing wastage of drugs. In March 2019 the EU issued a strategy on the environmental effects of pharmaceutical products. Finland and other member states are considering how to implement the strategy at the national level.
Further information:
Leader Expert Taina Nystén p. +358 295 251 470
firstname.surname@ymparisto.fi