Environmental impact of pharmaceuticals and personal care products
![A vervet monkey with a stolen box of aspirin that was not securely stored.](/Images/godic/202502/04/Augrabies-Monkey-Asprin1517.jpg")
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The environmental impact of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) is largely speculative. PPCPs are substances used by individuals for personal health or cosmetic reasons and the products used by agribusiness to boost growth or health of livestock. PPCPs have been detected in water bodies throughout the world. The effects of these chemicals on humans and the environment are not yet known, but to date there is no scientific evidence that they have an impact on human health. The term PPCPs contains as well environmental persistent pharmaceutical pollutants (EPPPs). The European Union summarizes pharmaceutical residues with the potential of contamination of water and soil together with other micropollutants under “priority substances”.