What is MassDEP doing about pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment?
Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) include medicines, insect repellents, sunscreens, perfumes, soaps, fragrances, and lotions. These products, which can be found in any drug store, have the potential to enter the environment through domestic sewage and other sources. Some are endocrine disrupting compounds (or EDCs) and could possibly affect the system of glands that produces hormones that help control the body’s metabolic activity and development. MassDEP has taken the following steps to begin addressing emerging contaminants, including PPCPs and EDCs: • Established an Emerging Contaminants Work Group. The Work Group centralizes MassDEP’s focus on emerging contaminants, fosters information exchange, and brings together a broad range of cross-program expertise. • Initiated a collaborative research project with UMass – Amherst, EarthTech and the American Water Works Association Research Foundation on the effects of different treatment technologies on removing PPCPs and ED
