ABSTRACT
Pharmaceuticals.have.been. introduced. into. the.environment.for.decades,.via. land. application. of. manure. from. antibiotic-treated. livestock. and. via. discharges. from. wastewater.treatment.plants,.where.only.very.limited.removal.may.take.place..As. an.increasing.number.of.investigators.report.the.occurrence.of.a.wide.range.of.pharmaceuticals. in. the. environment,1-3. there. is. a. need. to. focus. more. research. on. the. advancement.of. treatment. technologies. to. remediate.pharmaceutical.pollutants. in. the.environment..Efforts.to.enhance.pharmaceutical.remediation.have.been.spurred. by.various.concerns,.ranging.from.the.emergence.of.antibiotic-resistant.pathogens. that.may.infect.the.human.population4.to.potential.risks.associated.with.the.longterm.exposure.of.consumers.to.crops.that.accumulate.the.antibiotics.5.While.most.of. these.concerns.have.not.as.of.yet.been.verified,.some.substantiation.of.these.effects. has.come.to.fruition..For.instance,.research.on.human.embryonic.cells.exposed.to.13. pharmaceuticals.at.concentrations.found.in.the.environment.has.shown.a.significant. decrease.in.cell.proliferation.in vitro.6
