PPCP Toolkit developed by WateReuse foundation

The WateReuse Research Foundation (WRF) has developed a toolkit for briefing elected officials, policy makers, or the general public about the presence of trace concentrations of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) found in recycled water.

Findings from a recent WRF study indicate that, depending on the chemical and the exposure situation, it could take anywhere from a few years to many millions of years of exposure to non-potable recycled water to reach the same exposure to PPCPs that humans get in a single day through routine activities.

For each of four scenarios in which people could come into contact with recycled water used for irrigation – children on a playground, golfers, and landscape and agricultural workers – the Risk Assessment Study estimated health risks from exposures to PPCPs in recycled water and compared those exposures to conventional uses of the same chemicals.

The PPCP Communications Toolkit includes:

  • A four-page illustrated color brochure titled Recycled Water: How Safe is It? which puts the safety of recycled water into perspective for the general public
  • Four double-sided flyers that explain estimated health risks from pharmaceuticals and personal care products for children on the playground, golfers, and landscape and agricultural workers
  • A 12-minute DVD, which synthesizes the results of the risk assessment study. This video includes easy-to-understand interviews with the scientists behind the research.
  • The toolkit will be available from July 26, 2011.