 
Introduction
The history of environmental chemical pollution comprises a still growing list of man-made chemicals unintentionally ending up in the aquatic environment and biota. This is mainly due to their persistence towards degradation and potential for bioaccumulation, resulting in long-term and low-level exposures, causing effects not foreseen.
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients is a group of compounds that has to be added to the list of potentially hazardous chemicals ending up in the aquatic environment. The existence of human pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment is certainly a cause for concern, but existence alone is only one prerequisite for adverse outcomes. The fact that all pharmaceuticals are designed for potent interactions with biological systems significantly adds to this concern and a risk to aquatic species cannot easily be dismissed. It is already known that estrogens from contraceptives may contribute to the feminization of male fish living in waters polluted by domestic wastewater effluents. Knowledge on the possible adverse effects of other pharmaceuticals in aquatic organisms is scarce. MistraPharma will assess the size and nature of risk that pharmaceuticals may cause in the aquatic environment. Based on this assessment, efficient methods for reducing emissions of problematic pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater treatment plants will be identified and evaluated. Finally, the research performed within MistraPharma will generate improved methods and strategies for identifying problematic pharmaceuticals at an early stage during drug development.
Who will benifit from the results?
The main end users that have been identified and who have also cooperated in the development of the programme application are:
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