Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and personal care products (PPCPs), come from a variety of sources, such as human, agricultural, or veterinary usage of medications, fragrances, cosmetics, vitamins, and many other products. Many PhACs or PPCPs are also endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which are natural compounds and synthetic chemicals that mimic natural hormones.

Pharmaceuticals have become a source of increasing concern because they are released into the environment with little regulation, and they persist at low ppb to ppt concentrations, which may have an adverse effect on the ecosystem as well as groundwater and surface water systems. Studies have linked EDCs to adverse biological effects in animals, which suggests the potential for similar effects in humans. EDCs enter the groundwater table from point source discharges from industry, as well as from runoff in urban and agricultural areas.

Some adverse effects from the increased presence of pharmaceuticals and EDCs in the aquatic ecosystem include cancer, fertility problems, and organ-specific health effects. Concentrations of these compounds well below their accepted regulatory levels are associated with negative effects on human and wildlife health. More research needs to be completed to assess the results of low level exposure to these compounds, but it is already known that adverse affects exist, and measures must be taken in order to reduce the influx of these compounds into the environment.