Bioavailability models for innovative ecological risk assessment of pharmaceuticals (ECOPHARMA)

Human pharmaceuticals are increasingly detected in waterways. Yet, the estimation of their ecological risks may be more than 10-fold wrong, because bioavailability is completely ignored. ECOPHARMA will develop bioavailability models to calculate how physicochemical water characteristics affect pharmaceutical uptake, ecotoxicity to organisms and risks. These models will innovate pharmaceutical risk assessment, contribute to sustainable pharma-industry and improve water quality management.