Study of the UC concludes that urban riverbanks are polluted by pharmaceuticals
A study led by researchers from the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), in collaboration with the Faculty of Pharmacy at the UC (FFUC), concluded that urban riverbanks are polluted by a great diversity of affecting aquatic organisms and ecological processes.
«The literature review showed that urban streams, in addition to rivers, are a critical freshwater ecosystem when it comes to the occurrence of drugs. These cross heavily urbanized areas and given their small volume of water and weak dilution capacity can be highly polluted, then taking these pollutants to the main rivers», warns Maria João Feio, a researcher from the Department of Life Sciences (DCV) of the FCTUC and the Centre for Marine and Environmental Sciences (MARE).
This research, published in the prestigious journal Water Research, aimed to understand the state of contamination of urban streams by drugs and their impacts on the ecosystem and aquatic organisms. Thus, the experts performed a bibliographical review of scientific studies conducted worldwide.
«In this work, we recorded, in 49 urban areas, the presence of 139 drugs, belonging to ten therapeutic groups, in 13 countries from four continents, with a predominance of anti-inflammatory and anticonvulsant. Metabolites of drugs were also detected, but more rarely analyzed», reveals Fernanda Rodrigues, PhD student in Environmental Engineering.
The research team detected drugs such as diclofenac, ibuprofen and paracetamol (analgesics, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and anaesthetic); clarithromycin and erythromycin (antibiotics, antifungal and antipruritic); fluoxetine and cytalopram (psychoactive drugs); estrone, 17β-estradiol and ethinylestradiol (hormones); and genfibrozil (lipid regulators).
In Portugal, three urban streams were studied and a total of eight drugs were detected in the waters. It was also observed, in one of the streams, a high risk for aquatic invertebrates due to an antidepressant, fluoxetine.
According to the experts, «the effects on aquatic organisms and ecological processes have varied, from bioaccumulation, endocrine disruption, poor growth, inhibition of reproduction, increase in mortality and hatching disorders until morphological changes and decrease in gross primary production and biomass».
This study provided an overview of the issue of drugs in urban riverbanks. The research also showed the need to invest in new studies, particularly in Portugal and Europe, where the team is investigating this issue. «Understanding how these drugs reach the riparian ecosystems, in order to minimize their entry and to eliminate these pollutants from water is essential to safeguard the health of ecosystems and aquatic organisms, but also human health, in a One Health (One Health) approach», they conclude.
The scientific article “Pharmaceuticals in Urban Streams: A Review of Their Detection and Effects in the Ecosystem” was also published by researchers Luísa Durães, Nuno Simões, André Pereira and Liliana Silva and is available here.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok and see the exclusive content for social networks.
