Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Just One Stressor Among Others or Indicators for the Global Human Influence on Ecosystems?

The beneficial use of chemicals in modern human society inevitably leads to their emission into the environment. Pharmaceuticals are crucial for improving and safeguarding public health, whether treating acute infections with historically poor prognoses or increasing the length and quality of our lives by treating chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, endocrine disorders and improving psychiatric well-being. The use of pharmaceuticals is unlikely to diminish and as such we expect their continuous or even increasing discharge into aquatic and terrestrial environments, predominantly through excretion by patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.