A new study has revealed that pharmaceutical wastes resulting from human and farm animal consumption are endangering the eco-system of rivers around the world.

A researcher, Francesco Bregoli at the Delft Institute for Water Education in The Netherlands, told the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2018, on Thursday, while presenting the research findings.

A large part of the world’s rivers and lakes are potentially threatened by the high concentration of drug wastes, Bregoli said.

Based on data collected from some 1,400 locations worldwide, the researchers are predicting that the amount of pharmaceutical wastes could surge by some 67 per cent by 2050.

Unfortunately, the solution to the challenge is not easy. Bregoli revealed that technology will not be able to help. “We need a substantial reduction in consumption,” he told AFP.

Bregoli’s team used diclofenac, an anti-inflammation drug, as a proxy to estimate the concentration of other drugs in global river systems.

Diclofenac has been branded as a threat to the environment by both the EU and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The team found out that over 10,000 kilometres of waters contain an amount of the drug exceeding the 100 nanogrammes per litre standard set by the EU.

The spread of diclofenac reflects the spread of thousands of other medications and personal care products in water bodies.