Presence of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment - A Concern for Human Health?

摘要

Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) have changed the way we live. However, their widespread use has led to unintended challenges to our society; some of which are well documented, while others are poorly understood. Systematic evaluation of the current literature indicate that unintended human exposures to PPCPs are inadequately characterized, and the resulting health outcomes among general population are scantily investigated. Data on occupational exposures at PPCPs manufacturing facilities are not readily available. In the absence of this, studies have relied on sewage workers, who are potentially exposed to higher level of PPCPs via dermal and inhalation routes. Occupational studies of this population have shown increased risk of cancer among exposed population, however, there is poor concordance of cancer sites between studies. Furthermore, lack of adequate adjustment for co-exposures to other chemicals and microbial agents makes it difficult to attribute the increased risk to PPCPs alone. Risk assessment studies performed thus far have concluded no appreciable risk to humans, however these studies overlook non-cancer endpoints, do not take into consideration the most recent data, and are often commissioned by the manufacturers of PPCPs. This chapter summarizes the human health aspects of PPCPs that are present in the environment. Current data gaps and future research priorities are identified, along with a special focus on human exposure and potential adverse health outcomes.