Pharma-Ecology, 2nd Edition

1Usage of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Intertwine between human health and the ecosystem based on historical perspectives of environmental degradation.
2. Potential consequences of our increased dependency on extensive PPCP use vis‐à‐vis lessons from agrochemical (i.e. pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers) usage.
3. PPCP classification for environmental studies.
4. Historical pharmaceutical consumption trends in the United States and other developed countries highlighting global differences.

The human impulse for a cure runs quite deeply, and our first instinct whenever we feel sick or are inclined to sickness is to medicate. As the baby boomers age, so is their increased demand for state‐of‐the‐art medical care. The pharma–patient transaction has transformed itself from the previous practice of selling pharmaceutical products to selling a lifestyle. Amiss from that transformation, however, is the need to appreciate the intertwined relationship between the health of ecological systems and the ecology of health. Both of these concepts collectively refer to the health of humans as determined, at least in part, by the condition of their ecological surroundings. These considerations have led to the emergence of what is referred to as ecosystem health, a science aimed at integrating our desire to assess and monitor ecosystems and health‐related problems in a more holistic fashion, environmental degradation, and ecology (Rapport et al. ...