Residues of over-the-counter painkillers polluting Dutch water: RIVM

The over-the-counter anti-inflammatory diclofenac can be found far too often in Dutch surface water, said national public health institute RIVM. “This is because this painkiller is often spread on the skin as a gel. Most of it is washed away by showering or washing clothes,” the organization stated.

Other well-known painkillers are also a danger to the water, the institute found during its own research. Ibuprofen and naproxen, two common over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, also pose a risk to the aquatic environment. But the level of diclofenac found in the water was sometimes far higher than the proposed European standard for in half of the locations examined, the RIVM observed.

Medicine residues that wind up in the water can be harmful to animals living in and along the area, the institute warned. Doctors and consumers should receive more information about this and should choose environmentally friendly painkillers whenever possible, the institute concluded. Paracetamol and aspirin, for example, cause far less water pollution.

“When choosing a painkiller, efficacy and safety for the patient are the most important,” the RIVM emphasized.

The institute says that it remains to be determined how the environmental impact of painkillers can best be included in the various treatment guidelines.

The sewage treatment plant cannot properly remove medicine residues from the water, so we must ensure that fewer of them end up in the water. Drinking as little as possible is a good start, according to the RIVM.