Pharmaceuticals Discovered In Fish In Five Major US Cities; 'Highest Concentrations In Fish Livers'

Pharmaceuticals Discovered In Fish In Five Major US Cities; 'Highest Concentrations In Fish Livers'

Source: Underwatertimes

3/25/2009

Baylor University researchers, working with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, have detected low-level residues of several human medications and personal care products in fish collected from effluent-dominated rivers, including the residue of one pharmaceutical in wild fish that has not been previously reported.

These findings are part of the first EPA pilot study designed to look for the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in fish from our nation’s waterways.

“While this study found the residue of several pharmaceuticals and personal care products in fish tissue, it also demonstrated for the first time that fish from several different locations across the country are exposed to multiple PPCPs in effluent-dominated waterways,” said Dr. Bryan Brooks, associate professor of environmental sciences at Baylor and an aquatic toxicology expert on PPCPs who is a Baylor co-lead investigator on the study.

The study’s methodology is presented today at the spring 2009 National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Salt Lake City by Dr. Kevin Chambliss, a Baylor co-lead investigator with Brooks. The study’s results also are scheduled to be published on-line in a special edition of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. The special issue will be dedicated to PPCPs found in the environment.