Green and Sustainable Pharmacy
Within recent years pharmaceuticals have come into focus as contaminants of the environment (see for example Kümmerer, K. editor: Pharmaceuticals in the Environment). At the same time the issue of sustainable chemistry gained momentum. Bringing both toget
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Klaus Kümmerer · Maximilian Hempel Editors
Green and Sustainable Pharmacy
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Editors Prof. Dr. Klaus Kümmerer Department of Environmental Health Sciences University Medical Center Freiburg Breisacherstraße 115b 79106 Freiburg Germany [email protected] [email protected]
Maximilian Hempel Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt D-49090 Osnabrück Germany [email protected]
ISBN 978-3-642-05198-2 e-ISBN 978-3-642-05199-9 DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-05199-9 Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2010924552 © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover Photo: Jim Barber - fotolia.com Cover design: deblik, Berlin Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Foreword
Dear reader, Pharmaceuticals are an indispensable part of our modern times, allowing for a high quality of life and an increased life expectancy. The last few years have shown that pharmaceuticals leave an partly unchanged impact on the environment after their use. As they are barely incompletely eliminated by sewage treatment, they are still found in relevant concentrations in the aquatic environment and drinking water. Human-toxicologically seen, the concentrations give no reason for concern, however, they are nevertheless a serious environmental problem. Furthermore, we know that the pharmaceutical production is connected with a high consumption of energy and resources and with the emergence of relatively large volumes of waste. All in all it appears that the production and use of pharmaceuticals can involve significant environmental impacts. Therefore it is only logical to pursue the question of how pharmacy and pharmaceutical industry can be more sustainable. Which sustainable strategies can prevent the entry of pharmaceutical residues in environment and drinking water? How can we reduce resource consumption and waste in their production process? Is the concept of “Sustainable Chemistry” transferable to the pharmacy? How to reduce the entry of unused pharmaceuticals in the environment? What incentive options do we have to create a more sustainable pharmaceutical industry? In order to find answers, a holistic a
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