Umweltbundesamt
Click to enlargePharmaceuticals, which have become a lynchpin of our high standard of living, improve our quality of life and palliate and cure human and veterinary diseases. However, pharmaceuticals need to be used sparingly and with due care, for their positive effects also entail human and environmental risks and collateral effects.
Antibiotics and antiparasitic drugs are used in livestock farming to treat infections caused by bacteria, protozoa, and parasites. When approving drugs, the Federal Environment Agency conducts an environmental risk assessment. Active ingredients that pose a risk may be subject to additional requirements to protect the environment. While the use of antibiotics as growth promoters and to increase feed conversion as performance enhancers has been banned in the EU since 2006, large quantities are still used for (preventive, so-called metaphylactic) treatment. A large proportion of the active substances (approximately 60 to 80 percent) are excreted by the animals unchanged or metabolized. These active pharmaceutical ingredients can end up on agricultural land through the application of farm manure or grazing. Studies show that residues of the drugs can be detected not only in the soil, but also in seepage water and, in individual cases, in groundwater. When it rains, particles from fertilized farmland can enter surface waters. The behavior and effect of active pharmaceutical ingredients in the environment are largely determined by the properties of the drugs and the complex interactions in the environment. The extent to which this occurs and the risks and dangers associated with it cannot yet be determined with certainty.
The Veterinary Medicines Portal (only in german) provides a wealth of further information and measures that can help to reduce the release of veterinary medicines into the environment.
The UBA’s motto, For our environment (“Für Mensch und Umwelt”), sums up our mission pretty well, we feel. In this video we give an insight into our work.
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