Pharmaceuticals & Personal Care Products

PPCPs as Pollutants

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) as pollutants refers, in general, to any product used by individuals for personal health or cosmetic reasons or used by agribusiness to enhance growth or health of livestock. PPCPs comprise a diverse collection of thousands of chemical substances, including:

• Cosmetics
• Fragrances
• Prescription and Over-the-Counter Therapeutic Drugs
• Veterinary Drugs

PPCPs have probably been present in water and the environment for as long as humans have been using them. The drugs that we take are not entirely absorbed by our bodies and are excreted and passed into wastewater and surface/source water.

Detected Effects

With advances in technology that improved the ability to detect and quantify these chemicals, (down to one part per trillion), we can now begin to identify what effects, if any these chemicals have on human and environmental health.

While these compounds may be detected at very low levels in source waters, people regularly consume or expose themselves to products containing these compounds in much higher concentrations through medicines, food and beverage and other sources. The level in which they are detected in water systems is very small in comparison.

The fact that a substance is detectable does not mean the substance is harmful to humans. To date, research throughout the world has not demonstrated an impact on human health from pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds in drinking water.

Contaminant Candidate List

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maintains an active program called the Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) to identify contaminants in public drinking water that warrant detailed study. The CCL does not currently include any personal care products or pharmaceuticals. While research has not demonstrated human health impacts from these compounds, this topic reminds us of how precious our source waters are and the need to protect them from harmful substances. The best and most cost-effective way to ensure safe water at the tap is to keep our source waters clean.

Office of National Drug Control Policy

The federal Office of National Drug Control Policy recommends not flushing prescription drugs down the toilet unless the accompanying patient information specifically instructs it is safe to do so.

Additional Information

The City of Lebanon Water Treatment Team is committed to providing safe drinking water. We want to assure our customers that we are paying close attention to this issue. For more information on this and other water quality issues please contact our Water Treatment Superintendent at 603-448-2514.