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Scientists warn that drugs have dangerously polluted the rivers of the world.| Pollution

Scientists warn that drugs have dangerously polluted the rivers of the world.| Pollution

According to the most comprehensive study ever done, drugs used by humanity have polluted rivers all over the globe and pose a risk to human health.

Humans use pharmaceuticals and other biologically active substances to harm wildlife. Antibiotics in the environment increase the risk of resistance, which is one of the greatest threats facing humanity.

Scientists measured the concentrations of 61 active pharmaceutical ingredient (APIs), at more than 1,000 locations along 258 rivers and in all 104 countries. Two places were left unpolluted: Iceland and a village in Venezuela where the indigenous population does not use modern medicines.

The most common APIs detected were an anti-epileptic medication, carbamazepine which is difficult to breakdown, the diabetes drug Metformin, and caffeine. All three APIs were found in at most half of the sites. One in five sites had dangerous levels of antibiotics. Many sites also had at minimum one API that was considered to be harmful for wildlife and could have effects such as feminizing fish.

After being consumed by livestock and humans, APIs end-up in rivers. Some APIs may leach from pharmaceutical plants.

Hotspots with high levels of APIs include Lahore, Pakistan, La Paz, Bolivia, and Addis ababa, Ethiopia. Madrid in Spain was among the top 10 places with highest cumulative concentrations. Dallas (USA) and Glasgow (UK) were in top 20.

John Wilkinson, from the University of York in the UK, who led the study that involved 127 researchers representing 86 institutions, stated that antimicrobial resistance is the greatest threat to humanity. We found that antimicrobial resistance was present in 19% of all sites we monitored. [antibiotics]We expected bacteria to develop resistance at levels higher than those we have.

Research published in January estimated that In 2019, 5 million people were killedfrom bacterial infections that were resistant antibiotics. The study found that the regions with the greatest impact from antibiotic resistance closely aligned with those with the most severe drug pollution. This suggests that river contamination may play a role in increasing resistance. One Bangladeshi site had levels of antibiotic metronidazole that were more than 300 times higher then the safe target. This could be due to pharmaceutical manufacturing leakage.

Already, it was known that drug pollution was affecting wildlife. These include starving starlings from antidepressants and decreasing numbers of fish species due to contraceptive drugs. Wilkinson stated that if I were a fish living on these rivers, I would be very concerned. He said that the rivers do not contain high levels of toxic substances, but people swimming in them would be fine.

The study was published in the journal. Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesThis is the largest river pollution impact of 470 million people. The researchers concluded that pharmaceutical pollution poses a threat to both human and environmental health.

The majority of measurements were previously taken in North America and Western Europe. But, the latest research has shown that API pollution can be much higher elsewhere. The study covered 36 countries, where APIs were first measured, especially in Africa and South America.

The antidepressants citalopram, venlafaxine and antihistamines Cetirizine and Fexofenadine, as well as the antibiotic trimethoprim, lidocaine and an anaesthetic, were all found on all continents, except Antarctica. The highest number of APIs found at one site was 34 at the Kai Tak River in Hong Kong.

Researchers stated that single APIs could pose greater ecological risks than expected due to toxicological interactions between these mixtures. There are more than 2,500 pharmaceuticals on the market, but current technology can only analyze 50-100 samples. Researchers therefore focused their attention on the most common.

The lowest drug concentrations were found among low-to middle income countries like India and Nigeria. Researchers think this could be because people living in these countries have enough income to purchase pharmaceuticals, but don’t have good sewerage systems. This can remove drugs, but is expensive.

The study did not include measurements for illegal drugs like MDMA and cocaine, which have been detected at levels that are harmful to wildlife. However, future analysis of the samples could reveal this.

Scientists hope that the research will allow them to focus their efforts on the most at-risk areas and pharmaceuticals. Wilkinson said that good sewage connectivity and wastewater treatments are key to reducing, but not necessarily eliminating, pharmaceutical concentrations. This is however very expensive because of the extensive infrastructure required.

He said that it is important to use medicines with care to reduce the amount of pollution.

Professor Joakim Larsson of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, who was not part of this study team, stated that pharmaceuticals are almost everywhere in rivers around the world.

The study revealed that a large number of pharmaceuticals exceed safe levels at many sites. Bacteria are not sensitive to national borders. If a new resistant bacterium is discovered on one side of the planet, it can quickly become a problem for everyone.

The researchers are now trying to increase the number of countries that are covered as the Covid-19 epidemic has halted their surveys. They are also increasing the number and quality of drugs measured. They hope to evaluate river levels throughout the year for seasonal trends.

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