Drug residues: Lecture highlights impending environmental dangers!

Drug residues: Lecture highlights impending environmental dangers!

On October 28, 2025, an important lecture on the problem of drug residues in the environment will take place in Gütersloh. Health scientist Ella Feldmann will show how widespread these residues are in our soil and water. Loud Gütersloh.de 992 different active ingredients have been detected worldwide, and the impact on our environment is serious.

A focus of the event is on the various examples of drugs that are responsible for these substances. It is also discussed which approaches are useful for reducing drug residues in the environment. The listeners are also given various options for action in order to take action. The lecture is therefore part of the project “Gütersloh enlightens – expanding health literacy”, which is financially supported by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The facts about drug residues

The new findings about drug residues are alarming. In Germany there are currently around 2,500 different active ingredients in human medicine. According to current assessment standards, around half of this would be relevant for an in-depth environmental assessment, as the Federal Environment Agency does on its portal Umweltbundesamt.de reported. Of particular note are antibiotics and antiparasitics, which have negative environmental impacts.

Another cause for concern is the increase in drug consumption due to an aging population. Health experts estimate that this could lead to a further increase in environmental damage caused by residues. In 2023, for example, 529 tons of antibiotics were given out in animal husbandry, with common classes such as penicillins and tetracyclines being among the biggest culprits.

residues in the environment

Drug residues get into soil and water primarily through human and animal excretions. The human medicines find their way mainly via wastewater into sewage treatment plants, where they are often not retained. Residues have also been detected in drinking water. The Federal Environment Agency has discovered at least 414 different active ingredients or their metabolites in Germany, with the highest concentrations found in antidiabetics and antihypertensive drugs.

Ella Feldmann's lecture could not only provide interesting insights into this explosive topic, but also present practical solutions to meet the challenges in this area. The commitment of citizens when dealing with medicines is of great importance in order to collectively have a positive influence on our environment.