Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the National Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) Penny K. Lukito drew attention to the presence of active medical compounds that contaminate the Indonesian waters and threaten people's health.

Lukito delivered the statement while opening the 2023 World Environment Day (WED) Commemoration event here on Monday.

"We are committed to supporting production sustainability and sustainable drug and food consumption for a developed Indonesia in commemoration of the 2023 World Environment Day," she remarked.

The BPOM recorded that in Indonesia, there are 217 pharmaceutical companies, 18 active medicinal material companies, 1,077 traditional drug production facilities, 1,024 cosmetic production facilities and 4,669 processed food production facilities.

According to the result of the study from IWW Water Center, in 2015, some 249 active drug compounds were detected in groundwater and surface water of the Asian region, with 11 to 30 of them existing in the Indonesian waters.

According to Lukito, the relatively high number of drug and food companies in Indonesia demands a responsible consumption and production method.

"Drug and food are commodities that came from human activities that can affect the environment," she remarked.

The pharmaceutical waste that contaminate water causes the ecosystem to become unbalanced and leads to health problems, such as antimicrobial resistance.

Environmental conditions also affect the quality and availability of drug and food.

"The BPOM continues to implement comprehensive monitoring and encourage companies to implement sustainable drug and food production and consumption practices," she stated.

World Environment Day is commemorated every June 5 to raise awareness of the importance of protecting and utilizing resources on the planet responsibly.

The government has taken strategic steps in realizing environmental-oriented development toward the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision through the theme of "Sovereign, Developed and Sustainable Nusantara Country."

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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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