Strengthening risk management strategies for pharmaceutical contaminants in Canada’s freshwater ecosystems

In Canada, the discharge of pharmaceutical substances from wastewater treatment plants into freshwater ecosystems is an escalating environmental challenge. This study evaluates Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) assessment of pharmaceutical substances (PhAC) by considering expert stakeholder insights, exposing key gaps and exploring transformative strategies for pharmaceutical risk governance. Findings reveal that current CMP practices fail to address cumulative effects, enforceable industrial accountability, and holistic chemical mixture evaluations. In the interviews, stakeholders emphasized the freshwater PhAC contamination problem and the need for proactive upstream interventions (e.g., source protection) rather than relying solely on wastewater treatment processes. In their view, this strategy promotes an effective and cost-efficient response to mitigating long-term environmental and public health risks. This study also highlighted cross-sector collaboration to enable the realignment of regulatory frameworks in response to rapid industrial advancements and the precautionary principle. By embracing a more precautionary approach to risk management, the CMP has the potential to transition from a reactive regulatory mechanism into a global model for pharmaceutical contaminant management. This research presents a forward-looking blueprint for refining regulatory strategies, enhancing stakeholder coordination, and establishing a more resilient and future-ready framework for safeguarding Canada’s freshwater ecosystems. • Stakeholders identified upstream interventions as key to managing pharmaceutical risks. • Insufficient and unstable funding limits the CMP’s capacity to manage emerging contaminants. • Delayed regulatory action undermines proactive pharmaceutical risk governance. • Cross-sector collaboration is needed to overcome silos in chemical management.