QUESTION: How well do our systems treat pharmaceuticals and other contaminants?ANSWER: I hear this question often during workshops, and it will be a continuing issue of concern for the industry. Pharmaceuticals are regarded as contaminants of emerging concern from both an environmental and human health perspective. Research has been limited on these compounds due to their trace levels – in the low parts per billion. Treatment for the compounds in wastewater treatment plants is very costly even though there are available technologies such as ozonation, reverse osmosis and process optimization.Each compound is an entity with a particular organic structure, which
