In 2019, the network ‘Pharmaceutical Residues in Water Northern Netherlands’ was established, bringing together the health and water sectors for a cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary collaboration.
This collaboration aims to leverage the strong position of Northern Netherlands through ideas, initiatives, and innovations, with the goal of becoming a leader at the (inter)national level in reducing pharmaceutical residues in water. In late 2021, a successful application was submitted to SNN (Cooperation Northern Netherlands) to carry out a project within the network, consisting of several experiments. These experiments began in the first quarter of 2022.
The network ‘Pharmaceutical Residues in Water Northern Netherlands’ aims to position the region as a development hub and testing ground for solutions and innovations across the entire value chain—from source (health prevention) to end-of-pipe (water treatment). This includes lifestyle changes, prescription behavior, medicine collection, new purification methods, and long-term development of new medicines that are more easily broken down by the environment.
Effects
Every year, more than 190,000 kg of pharmaceutical residues end up in our water, with negative effects on the environment, flora and fauna, and drinking water. Due to increasing aging populations (more medicine use) and climate change (prolonged low water levels), the issue of pharmaceutical residues in water is expected to worsen in the coming years. Northern Netherlands has a higher rate of aging and significant agricultural activity, which means this region could experience more severe effects of the problem. At the same time, this region has a strong health and water cluster, giving it a unique position to tackle the issue. This project runs from 2021 to 2023.
Want to know more?
Please contact us at info@wateralliance.nl