The Detection, Monitoring, and Removal of Pharmaceuticals From Wastewater: Does the Current Canadian Chemical Management Framework Protect Ecological Health in Receiving Water Sources?

The presence and ecological impacts of pharmaceuticals on the environment continue to be a subject of environmental and public health concern for developed and developing countries. While there are no detailed indications to support their impacts on human health, research has shown that they incite negative ecological responses in aquatic organisms. Despite the evidence, there has been no regulation to remove or limit the rate at which they are released into water sources. The big question, which has surrounded the subject with a reasonable level of scientific uncertainties, remains: is there still a reason to be worried about their presence in the environment from an ecological point of view? This thesis examined the position of science regarding the gaps and uncertainties that continue to exist concerning the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment. It also evaluated the management strategies that are currently in place in Canada to protect ecological health, comparing Canada with other international jurisdictions (the United States and European Union) in terms of regulations and management frameworks to see if there are lessons to be learned from the response of international jurisdictions to the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater.