TY - CHAP
T1 - Stewardship approaches to reducing healthcare contaminants
AU - Helwig, Karin P.M.
PY - 2018/10
Y1 - 2018/10
N2 - This chapter explores the role of stewardship in the reduction of environmental and human health risks from healthcare-specific contaminants in the environment, focusing in particular on pharmaceuticals. In the absence of a full understanding of environmental effects, stewardship approaches have much to offer and can be applied along the entire life cycle of a drug, from design to its release into the environment. Whilst ‘green pharmacy’ appears a worthwhile pursuit in the long term and advanced wastewater treatment technologies are increasingly being considered, it is in particular in the healthcare domain that stewardship – both as stewardship towards one’s own health and through discerning use of pharmaceuticals – has the potential to deliver positive environmental, health and financial outcomes. Whilst environmental stewardship of pharmaceuticals can be driven by policy, education, and facilitation, a re-examination of our attitude to health and our relationship with pharmaceuticals is required to curb the trend of ever-increasing use of medicines.
AB - This chapter explores the role of stewardship in the reduction of environmental and human health risks from healthcare-specific contaminants in the environment, focusing in particular on pharmaceuticals. In the absence of a full understanding of environmental effects, stewardship approaches have much to offer and can be applied along the entire life cycle of a drug, from design to its release into the environment. Whilst ‘green pharmacy’ appears a worthwhile pursuit in the long term and advanced wastewater treatment technologies are increasingly being considered, it is in particular in the healthcare domain that stewardship – both as stewardship towards one’s own health and through discerning use of pharmaceuticals – has the potential to deliver positive environmental, health and financial outcomes. Whilst environmental stewardship of pharmaceuticals can be driven by policy, education, and facilitation, a re-examination of our attitude to health and our relationship with pharmaceuticals is required to curb the trend of ever-increasing use of medicines.
KW - pharmaceutical micropollutants
KW - stewardship
KW - health care management
U2 - 10.1016/B978-0-444-63857-1.00011-5
DO - 10.1016/B978-0-444-63857-1.00011-5
M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)
T3 - Environmental Contaminants
SP - 199
EP - 223
BT - Health Care and Environmental Contamination: A Volume in Environmental Contaminants
A2 - Boxall, Alistair B.A.
A2 - Kookana, Rai S.
PB - Elsevier
CY - Oxford
ER -