by Edison Barbieri, 5 Gennaio 2026 – Fonte: Città Nuova
An often overlooked but increasingly serious form of pollution is affecting rivers and freshwater ecosystems around the world: pharmaceutical residues. Substances from commonly used medicines — including antibiotics, hormones, painkillers and psychiatric drugs — are now regularly detected in rivers, lakes and streams. Even when present in very low concentrations, these chemicals can have significant and long-lasting effects on ecosystems and, indirectly, on human health.
Pharmaceuticals enter waterways mainly through human and animal excretion, the improper disposal of unused medicines, and wastewater treatment plants that are not equipped to fully remove complex chemical compounds. Because many medicines are designed to be biologically active and resistant to breakdown, they persist in the environment and continuously expose aquatic organisms.
Research has shown a range of troubling impacts. Antibiotics in rivers contribute to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance, turning natural water systems into reservoirs where resistant bacteria can emerge and circulate. Hormones and synthetic contraceptives act as endocrine disruptors, altering the reproductive systems of fish and leading to population imbalances. Psychiatric and neurological drugs can affect the behaviour of aquatic species, changing how they feed, move and reproduce, and ultimately weakening entire ecosystems.
This form of pollution is largely invisible to the public, yet it reveals the deep interconnection between environmental degradation and human well-being. What flows through our rivers reflects how we care for health, consumption, and waste in our societies. Addressing pharmaceutical pollution therefore requires an integrated approach: upgrading wastewater treatment technologies, strengthening environmental and public health regulations, promoting responsible prescription and disposal of medicines, and increasing public awareness.
Integral ecology invites us to recognise that protecting rivers also means protecting people. By rethinking how medicines are produced, used and disposed of — and by supporting policies and practices that safeguard water ecosystems — we can take concrete steps to care for our common home and for future generations.
Photo: Pillole e medicinali. Immagine proveniente da Freepik.