Human pharmaceuticals in the marine environment: Focus on exposure and biological effects in animal species

Abstract

Marine waters have been poorly investigated for the occurrence of pharmaceutical contamination. Recent data confirm that pharmaceuticals occur widely in marine and coastal environments; therefore, assessment of potential risk to marine species needs further efforts. The present study represents the first extensive review of pharmaceutical contamination in marine environments addressing the effects on the marine biota analyzed at the molecular, cellular, and individual levels. Because pharmaceuticals differ from conventional pollutants, being designed to interact with specific physiological pathways at low doses, the most recent evidence on modes of action and physiological alterations on marine animal species are discussed. Data on spatial distributions of pharmaceuticals in waters and sediments, as well as bioaccumulation rates, are also presented. The present review also seeks to expand knowledge of how the quality of coastal and marine environments could be efficiently monitored to anticipate possible health and environmental risks. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:799-812. # 2015 SETAC

Selected pharmaceuticals entering an estuary: Concentrations, temporal trends, partitioning, and fluxes

“…Several of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (e.g., sulfamethoxazole, propanolol) were present at concentrations within an order of magnitude of the PNECs, suggesting that exceedance of the PNECs would be plausible under certain receiving water conditions. Further, several other active pharmaceutical ingredients (trimethoprim, carbamazepine, caffeine) were also observed to exert adverse effects at levels at or below those measured in the present study [42]. Three of Temporal trends of pharmaceuticals entering an estuary Environ Toxicol Chem 35, 2016 the active pharmaceutical ingredients (metoprolol, trimethoprim, caffeine) actually exceeded calculated PNEC thresholds during the present study [41].…”

“…The highest flux rates for most active pharmaceutical ingredients occurred during the present study on 16 These data indicate that river flow was the primary variable in regulating the rate of dissolved active pharmaceutical ingredients entering Narragansett Bay. Further, several other active pharmaceutical ingredients (trimethoprim, carbamazepine, caffeine) were also observed to exert adverse effects at levels at or below those measured in the present study [42]. Annual dissolved active pharmaceutical ingredient fluxes range from a low of 155 g/yr for verapamil to a high of 11 600 g/yr for metoprolol.…”

The influence of temperature on the effects induced by Triclosan and Diclofenac in mussels

“…A wide range of substances considered to be Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, 2016) or identified as Emerging Substances by the EU NORMAN network (2016), are not new chemicals and have been present in the environment for a long time. Nonetheless, their presence in water bodies and ecotoxicological impact on aquatic species has only recently been questioned (Fabbri and Franzellitti, 2016). The ubiquity of these substances in the aquatic environment and the limited information regarding their potential toxicity in non-target species, as well as the development of modern analytical methods for trace determinations, explain the new concern over these contaminants (Crane et al, 2006).…”

Pharmaceuticals in the environment: An introduction to the ET&C special issue

“…The complex patterns often found in ecotoxicological data for pharmaceuticals reflects not only the physiological and ecological complexity of exposed organisms and communities but also the temporal variability of pharmaceutical concentrations and the fluctuating physicochemical properties of the receiving environments, both of which affect the bioavailable fractions of pharmaceuticals and the overall risk to exposed organisms . Research focus previously has been on freshwater systems, and marine ecosystems have been identified here as being underrepresented and requiring further investigation . This is particularly important in coastal environments, where human impacts are pronounced and dynamic, in terms of daily physicochemical cycles; the use of innovative methods for examining bioavailability and potential risks to marine organisms is therefore highly desirable .…”