Friday, June 24, 2022

How is pharmaceutical pollution affecting the world’s rivers?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WILEY


During their production, use, and disposal, pharmaceutical ingredients in prescription and over-the-counter drugs are released into the environment, especially in surface waters. Results from a recent study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry indicate that pharmaceutical pollution is a global problem that is likely negatively affecting the health of the world’s rivers. 

Approximately 43.5% of the 1,052 locations that were assessed in the study across 104 countries had concerning concentrations of pharmaceutical ingredients. Twenty-three pharmaceutical ingredients occurred at concentrations exceeding ‘safe’ concentrations, including substances from the antidepressant, antimicrobial, antihistamine, benzodiazepine, painkiller, and other classes.   

“This is the first truly global assessment of the impacts of single pharmaceuticals and mixtures of pharmaceuticals in riverine systems,” said corresponding author Alejandra Bouzas-Monroy, a PhD student at the University of York. “Our findings show that a very high proportion of rivers around the world are at threat from pharmaceutical pollution. We should therefore be doing much more to reduce the emissions of these substances into the environment.”  

URL Upon Publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.5355 

Additional Information 

NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact:

Dawn Peters +1 781-388-8408 (US)
newsroom@wiley.com
Follow us on Twitter @WileyNews

About the Journal

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (ET&C) publishes papers describing original experimental or theoretical work that significantly advances understanding in the area of environmental toxicology, environmental chemistry, and hazard/risk assessment. ET&C is interdisciplinary in scope and integrates the fields of environmental toxicology; environmental, analytical, and molecular chemistry; ecology; physiology; biochemistry; microbiology; genetics; genomics; environmental engineering; chemical, environmental, and biological modeling; epidemiology; and earth sciences.

About Wiley

Wiley is a global leader in research and education, unlocking human potential by enabling discovery, powering education, and shaping workforces. For over 200 years, Wiley has fueled the world’s knowledge ecosystem. Today, our high-impact content, platforms, and services help researchers, learners, institutions, and corporations achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. Visit us at  Wiley.com, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

No comments:

Post a Comment