Pharmaceutical residues in fresh water pose a growing environmental risk

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://www.ru.nl/english/news-agenda/news/vm/iwwr/2019/pharmaceutical-residues-fresh-water-pose-growing/

Pharmaceutical residues in fresh water pose a growing environmental risk
Date of news: 22 February 2019

Over the past 20 years, concentrations of pharmaceuticals have increased in freshwater sources all over the world, as research by environmental experts at Radboud University has revealed. Levels of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin have reached the point of potentially causing damaging ecological effects. The research is the first to examine the risks of two particular medicines in global freshwater sources, and is being published in Environmental Research Letters on 22 February. “The study calls for more widespread data gathering to measure the problem around the world.”

“Getting an accurate picture of the environmental risks of pharmaceuticals around the world depends on the availability of data, which is limited,” says Rik Oldenkamp, lead author of the article. “It's true that there are models, such as the ePiE model, which can give detailed predictions of pharmaceutical concentrations in the environment, but these are often only applicable to places where we already have a lot of information, such as rivers in Europe.”

The new model developed by the researchers, which builds on an existing model with a lower resolution, makes it possible to come up with worldwide predictions for individual ecoregions.

Damaging concentrations

For the two pharmaceuticals investigated in the study – carbamazepine, an anti-epileptic drug, and ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic – the environmental risks were found to be 10 to 20 times higher in 2015 than in 1995. The increased human use of ciprofloxacin was found to have a particularly high impact globally.

“The concentrations of this antibiotic can be harmful for bacteria in the water, and these bacteria in turn play an important role in various nutrient cycles,” says Oldenkamp. “Antibiotics can also have a negative impact on the effectiveness of bacteria colonies used in wastewater treatment.”

The environmental risks of ciprofloxacin in fresh water have increased worldwide between 1995 and 2015. PNEC stands for 'predicted no effect concentrations'. Credits: R. Oldenkamp et al, Environmental Research Letters

…

[Panich52]

1. Been a problem for a very long time.

Decade or more ago, estrogens were found to be affecting fish—feminizing males. But the antibacterials is even more scary. In 80s overuse was leading to superbugs. We tend to overlook the beneficial role of bacteria, as part of the food chain, positives to the environment, even the "good" bacteria in our bodies.