At AstraZeneca we are proactively addressing the problem of pharmaceuticals entering the environment as a result of our
manufacturing discharges (Nature 476, 265; 2011). (Correspondence)

Discharges from pharmaceutical factories contaminate rivers on three continents.

In the textile knitwear manufacturing city of Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, the ZLD project in their CETPs was propelled by a judicial directive and launched with great expectations way back in 2005.

The water quality index (WQI) was calculated for the assessment of ground water quality near to the dye user industry. For the calculation of WQI physicochemical characteristics of groundwater near by dyeing-printing, pulp-paper and tanning industrial areas were studied.

Facilities involved in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products are an under-investigated source of pharmaceuticals to the environment. Between 2004 and 2009, 35 to 38 effluent samples were collected from each of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in New York and analyzed for seven pharmaceuticals including opioids and muscle relaxants. Two WWTPs (NY2 and NY3) receive substantial flows (>20% of plant flow) from pharmaceutical formulation facilities (PFF) and one (NY1) receives no PFF flow.

Very high levels of a range of pharmaceuticals have been reported recently in the effluent from a wastewater treatment plant near Hyderabad, India. The plant serves approximately 90 manufacturers of bulk drugs that primarily are exported to the world market. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics were found at levels that are highly toxic to various microorganisms.

The sugarcane industry is one of the major water consuming industries. They play a major role in national economical development programmes. India is the second largest producer of sugar in the world.