A new study has found that pharmaceutical drugs have polluted the waterways around the world and pose a threat to human and environmental health. StudyUniversity of York. The University of York conducted the largest global study yet. Most pollutedAccording to BBC News, rivers in Bolivia, Pakistan, and Ethiopia were the most drug-polluted. However, rivers in the Amazon rainforest and Norway had the lowest levels of drug pollution.
The journal published the study, Pharmaceutical Pollution of the World’s Rivers, which involved 127 researchers from 86 institutions. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.
Usually, we take these chemicals, they have certain desired effects on us, and then they leave our body, Dr. John Wilkinson, a research leader, told BBC News.
What we know now is that even the most modern efficient wastewater treatment plants aren’t completely capable of degrading these compounds before they end up in rivers or lakes, Wilkinson said.
It is well-known that biologically active substances produced by humans can cause harm to wildlife, including the birds. Feminization of fishAntibiotics in the environment increase the risk of drug resistant.
Researchers measured concentrations of active ingredients at more than 1,000 locations. PharmaceuticalThe Guardian reported that ingredients are also known as APIs. The survey included all continents and sampled 258 rivers from 104 countries.
BBC News reported that more then a quarter of rivers tested had API levels considered to be unsafe for aquatic organisms.
There are 2,500 APIs in use. However, only 50 to 100 drugs could be analyzed in one sample. The Guardian reported that the researchers tested the most common APIs.
Madrid, Spain was in the top ten per cent of locations with the highest cumulative drug levels. Dallas, Texas and Glasgow in the UK were in top 20 per cent.
The Guardian reported that only Iceland, and a village in Venezuela inhabited primarily by Indigenous people did not have any detectable levels.
The most common APIs found were metformin, a diabetes medication; carbamazepine, which is used to treat nerve pain and seizures; and caffeine. One fifth of the sites tested had dangerous levels of antibiotics.
Wilkinson reported that the World Health Organization and UN, among other organisations, believe that antimicrobial resistant is the greatest threat to humanity. The concentrations of antimicrobial resistance were found in 19% of all sites we monitored. [antibiotics]Exceeded the levels we would expect to encourage bacteria to develop resistance.
High levels of acetaminophen and nicotine were also found in the rivers. BBC News reported that Artemisinin, which is used to treat malaria was found in high levels in Africa.
According to The Guardian, ecological risks could be higher than expected for single APIs because of toxicological interactions between these mixtures.
According to research published last week, antibiotic resistance to bacterial infections claimed five million lives in 2019. The regions most affected closely match those with the highest APIs.
According to The Guardian, Wilkinson stated that if I were a fish living on the banks of these rivers, I would be concerned right now. Wilkinson stated that high levels of drugs wouldn’t be administered to humans swimming in most rivers because they aren’t high enough.
Nearly all previous assessments were done in North America or Europe. But this study includes measurements taken in 36 countries, with South America and Africa being the most represented.
Researchers believe that the highest API concentrations were found in countries with low-to middle incomes such as India and Nigeria. This may be due to these countries not having adequate sewage systems to prevent them from getting contaminated.
As reported by The Guardian, Wilkinson stated that good sewage connectivity and wastewater treatments are key to reducing, if not eliminating, pharmaceutical concentrations. It is also very costly because there are so many infrastructures involved.
Other sites most affected by pharmaceutical contamination included those with poor wastewater management, areas where sewage was dumped, and locations where pharmaceuticals are manufactured.
“We have seen contaminated rivers in Nigeria and in South Africa with very high concentrations of pharmaceuticals and this is basically down to the lack of infrastructure in wastewater treatment,” said associate professor of emerging contaminants at Birmingham University in the UK. Dr. Mohamed Abdallah, reported BBC News.
“This is most concerning because you have the most vulnerable populations with the least access to healthcare exposed to this, Abdallah said.
According to The Guardian report Wilkinson, one way to reduce drug contamination in rivers is to be more cautious when using medicines, especially antibiotics.
According to The Guardian, pharmaceuticals are almost everywhere in rivers around the world, according to Joakim Larsson from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He was not part of the study’s researchers.
The study found that quite a few pharmaceuticals are above safe levels and at very high numbers of sites. Bacteria do not respect national borders, so if a new resistant bacterium develops on one side of our planet, it soon becomes a risk for everyone,” Larsson said.
