Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewaters

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewaters Despite progress in wastewater treatment, PPCPs like medications and personal care products continue to enter ecosystems, threatening aquatic life. Since 2020, the Bow River Ecosystem Health Assessment project in Alberta, Canada, has been evaluating the impact of treated wastewater on the Bow River. Investments to improve wastewater treatment have led to tremendous improvements in water quality and ecosystem health. (1) However, even with tertiary effluent treatment, a diversity of contaminants that include pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) continue to enter the environment and have the potential to disrupt the normal growth, development, and reproduction of aquatic organisms. The ongoing development and introduction of new chemicals continuously raise further concerns. The Bow River Ecosystem Health Assessment project has been assessing the impact of treated municipal wastewater discharges from the City of Calgary on the Bow River in central Alberta, Canada, since 2019.