Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (e.g. UV-filter in sunscreen) are contaminants of emerging concern. They are excreted or washed of during a shower or bath from the skin. These contaminants are known for their water solubility and most of them are not degraded during waste water treatment processes. Thus, there are constantly discharged into the environment, where they are seen as ‘pseudo-persistent’ contaminants.

Some of these contaminants and/or their metabolites are proven to have a potentially endocrine disrupting or toxic effect on marine organisms. For example, their occurrence in the marine environment can cause malformation in fish.

The question of this work is the determination of which contaminants can be found in the marine ecosystems and if their concentrations can pose a risk. The majority of this work is part of the project MEGAPOL.