Geosyntec’s Ellen Farrelly, Dan Elliott, PhD, Joe Cleary, PE, BCEE, and George Hollerbach, PE, BCEE, CSP, (New Jersey) will present on pharmaceuticals in wastewater at New Jersey Water Environment Association’s (NJWEA’s) John J. Lagrosa Annual Conference and Exposition at the Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on May 8, 2023. Daniel and Ellen’s talk, at 1:30 p.m. EDT, will focus on desktop risk assessments. Joe and George’s talk, at 10:30 a.m. EDT, will address technologies to address the risks of pharmaceuticals in wastewater and how the technologies are working.

The presentations are part of the all-day workshop, “Minimizing the Impact of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment,” hosted by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES).

Ellen is a Staff Engineer who focuses on pharmaceuticals in the environment and antimicrobial resistance. In addition to sampling and other fieldwork, she often conducts desktop assessments of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Dan is Senior Consultant with more than 25 of experience managing due diligence assessments, characterizing environmental liabilities, managing remediation portfolios, conducting regulatory negotiations, and leading compliance audits. This work often involves active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Joe is a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer with more than 46 years of experience focused on industrial wastewater, water reuse, energy recovery energy, and the treatment of emerging contaminates, including pharmaceuticals and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

George is a Senior Principal Engineer with more than 35 years of experience focused on water and wastewater, remediation, construction management, environmental health and safety, and pharmaceutical projects.

The NJWEA John J. Lagrosa Annual Conference and Exposition is the largest conference in New Jersey to offer water quality education and training to water quality professionals across the state and the United States.

Founded in 1915, the organization leads efforts to preserve water quality, remediate historically contaminated sites, help industries manage their water processes in a sustainable manner, and educate the public on water quality issues.

Geosyntec Presentations

“Desktop Risk Assessments to Estimate API Losses to Process Wastewater and Receiving Waters”

Ellen Farrelly and Daniel Elliott

“Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: What are the Risks, Technology Solutions, and How are These Technologies Working?”
Joseph Cleary and George Hollerbach

Workshop Details

AAEES Workshop: Minimizing the Impact of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment

Moderators: David A. Marabello, Groundwater and Environmental Services Inc.; David A. Vaccari, Stevens Institute of Technology; Jay Surti, GHD.

Date/Time: Monday, May 8, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. EDT

Treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater is known to be challenging. Pharmaceutical wastewater can contain high fractions of minimally degradable carbon compounds in addition to easily biodegradable carbon compounds. Also, the composition and concentration of pharmaceutical wastewater may vary due to batch operation and be specific to the manufactured product runs. Further complications may include the presence of biological inhibiting compounds. Concurrently, pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals and their chemical decomposition derivatives are being found in wastewater and in the world’s rivers far more often than previously thought – so much so that it now poses a significant hazard risk to the global environment and human health. The unknown toxicity, teratogenicity and carcinogenicity profile associated with these compounds raise a concern to the public health. Some research studies indicate the level of pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals and their chemical decomposition derivatives in rivers poses a threat to the world’s ability to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development goal to provide clean drinking water and sanitation for all by 2030. This workshop is intended both for specialists as well as for other environmental professionals interested in hearing from researchers and practitioners who are advancing the state of the art.

More Information

About the event: NJWEA_Conference_Booklet
About NJWEA: Home – NJ Water Environment Association
For consultation regarding pharmaceuticals in the environment, contact Ellen at efarrelly@geosyntec.com, Dan at DElliott@Geosyntec.com, Joe at JCleary@Geosyntec.com, or George at ghollerbach@geosyntec.com
Learn more about Ellen: Ellen Farrelly | LinkedIn 
Learn more about Dan: Daniel Elliott
Learn more about Joe: Joseph Cleary
Learn more about George: George Hollerbach