Are pharmaceuticals successfully removed by a wastewater treatment plant?

Pharmaceuticals are complex compounds that can be challenging to remove from wastewater using conventional treatment methods. While treatment plants are designed to reduce organic and inorganic materials, they often struggle with the complete removal of pharmaceutical contaminants. Many treatment processes, including biological treatment, may not effectively break down certain pharmaceutical substances, leading to their persistence in the effluent.

Research indicates that while some pharmaceuticals can be reduced in concentration through standard wastewater treatment processes, complete removal is not typically achieved. This means that a significant proportion of these substances can still be present in treated wastewater, especially in the case of more resistant compounds. Therefore, the notion that neither solid nor liquid pharmaceuticals are successfully removed aligns with the understanding that wastewater treatment facilities do not have comprehensive processes specifically tailored for the variety of pharmaceutical compounds found in wastewater.

Options that suggest complete removal or address only certain states of matter (liquid or solid) do not reflect the evidence that confirms the ongoing presence of these compounds in treated effluent. The choice indicating only large quantities also inaccurately suggests variability in closure that does not universally apply across different treatment plants. Hence, the accurate understanding is that wastewater treatment plants often do not adequately remove pharmaceuticals from both solid and liquid forms present in wastewater.