วารสารปี-40-ฉบับที่-4-resize

การปนเปื้อนของสารตกค้างทางเภสัชกรรมคนและสัตว์ในแหล่งน�้ ำประเทศไทย 104 The Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand Volume 40 Number 4 Oct-Dec 2015 Abstract Contamination of Water Resources in Thailand by Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products Chongrak Polprasert Fellow of the Academy of Science, The Royal Society, Thailand Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University Variga Sawaittayotin Environment Research and Training Center, Department of Environmental Quality Promotion Tatchai Pussayanavin School of Environment Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology The global increase in population and rapid development in industry and agriculture have resulted in increasing uses of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). Water pollution by PPCPs is normally caused by wastewater discharges from households, hospitals, livestock farms and related industries. Statistical data revealed that Thai people, on average, consumed more PPCPs than European people which consequently resulted in more concentrations of these PPCPs residuals in the major water resources in Thailand. Because PPCPs can accumulate and magnify in the food chains, there can be negative impacts to the environment and public health including occurrence of drug-resistant pathogens. The conventional wastewater treatment technologies have been found to be ineffective in removing PPCPs from the waste streams. It is thus essential that monitoring the levels of PPCPs in both surface and groundwater resources should be regularly conducted. The public and private sectors should put more efforts to reduce PPCPs discharges in wastewaters. A preliminary study found that constructed wetlands planted with vetiver grass was capable of degrading some PPCPs residuals. Keywords : waste residuals, pharmaceutical products, personal care products, water pollution, contamination of water resources in Thailand