Since the 1970s pharmaceuticals have been found in ambient, waste and drinking water and as science has improved more and more are being discovered. Monitoring and focused treatment of waters for the presence of pharmaceuticals is needed and the conventional wastewater treatment are not effective to eliminate the majority of pharmaceutical compounds.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has framed a strategy to tackle the water contamination to improve science through research, public understanding, identifying partnership opportunities and taking regulatory action.

This EPA white paper examines ways to screen pharmaceuticals in drinking water for potential human health risks at low concentrations, and outlines various approaches including the dose metrics used as the health endpoints and the sources of occurrence data.