Thurso-based University of the Highlands and Islands unit plays lead role in discarded medicine study
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Research from the University of the Highlands and Islands, among other bodies, has produced the first comprehensive study of the impact discarded medicine is having on Scotland's water environment.
The findings will be important to NHS Highland, which is taking a lead role in a group set up to tackle the issue.
The study, which was carried out by researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) with the James Hutton Institute and the University of the Highlands and Islands' Thurso-based Environmental Research Institute, obtained data on 60 medicines which are known to be present in the water environmentr through consumption and inappropriate disposal into wastewater systems.
Medicines enter the water environment when people taking them go to the toilet or when partially used or expired medicines are inappropriately flushed down the toilet instead of being returned to a pharmacy for proper disposal.
The study combined published and unpublished academic data with monitoring data from Scottish Water and SEPA, and recommends action on nine medicines to reduce the potential environmental risk. These include popular anti-inflammatory painkiller ibuprofen and some antibiotics, which may pose higher risks of ecotoxicity and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Lead researcher Dr Karin Helwig of Glasgow Caledonian University commented: “Pharmaceuticals (medicines) are designed to have an effect on humans so it’s no surprise that they affect water organisms, too, and that could disturb the balance in ecosystems.
"There is still much we don’t know about how serious these risks are, but if we value our environment it makes sense to try and reduce this kind of pollution as much as possible. Different organisations collect monitoring data for their own different purposes, so it was a real testament to partnership working that we were able to collate everything together and get a clearer picture of this area of emerging concern for the Scottish environment.”
Wastewater treatment plants were not initially designed to treat pharmaceuticals and are unable to treat some pharmaceuticals.
The One Health Breakthrough Partnership (OHBP), which was involved in the design and oversight of the study, is a cross-sector initiative bringing together key stakeholders to develop and implement sustainable interventions in healthcare.
OHBP co-founder, Inverness-based NHS Highland consultant in pharmaceutical public health, Sharon Pfleger, said it was important to try to prevent or reduce the impact of pollution by medicines as much as possible.
She continued: "This is why OHBP is taking an “up-stream” public health approach, to ensure that prescribers and the public understand that medicines do pollute our waters and how they can help, developing guidance for prescribers on more eco-friendly choices of medicines, promoting the use of green and blue spaces to help physical and mental health instead of using medicines and ensuring that people know how to correctly dispose of unused or unwanted medicines.”
The OHBP, which also includes representatives from Scottish Water, SEPA, and the Environmental Research Institute-University of the Highlands and Islands, as well as NHS Highland, is committed to working with partners to develop solutions and achieve the recommendations in the report.
The study, which was commissioned by the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW), recommends that further environmental research be done on groundwater, lochs, and coastal and estuarine waters. The study will be used by researchers, environmental regulators, the water industry, and the health service to assess whether, and to what extent, future interventions and OHBP activities help to reduce pharmaceutical pollution.
The report and its appendices are available on CREW's website.
