Medical drugs harmful to invertebrates present in British waterways - Buglife
- New research shows the presence of medical drugs in British rivers at levels potentially dangerous to wildlife
- Medical drugs observed to alter reproduction and growth in freshwater invertebrates, regularly exceed their ecologically safe levels
- Commonly used over-the-counter medicines found to be of the main risk
- Action is needed to address the risks that medical drugs pose to freshwater life.
Wildlife charity Buglife has found that medical drugs are a widespread occurrence in rivers across Britain – the presence of these chemicals in our waterways may be contributing to the loss of freshwater life.
The charity warns that drugs including painkillers, anti-inflammatories, and antidepressants may contribute to the decline of freshwater invertebrates – like snails, shrimps, and mussels – by altering reproduction, behaviour, and development. Wastewater treatment works are a major source of contamination with concentrations for the 14 drugs examined exceeding recommended levels in discharge up to 94% of the time.
Pharmaceuticals are essential for human and animal health. However, increasingly they are recognised as environmentally damaging when they enter freshwater systems. To assess the potential risks and impacts posed by medical drugs in our waterways, Buglife examined concentration data across England, Scotland, and Wales, alongside current scientific research.
Wastewater treatment works are not equipped to fully deal with medical drugs. Discharges of treated water contributed to significant concentration increases in downstream waters for half of the medicines examined. For instance, anti-inflammatory drugs Ibuprofen and Diclofenac were found in 84% and 34% of downstream samples.
Commonly seen damaging effects of pharmaceuticals on invertebrates are changes in reproduction and growth, however, urgent research is needed to understand the full risks. Larger animals like birds and fish may also be affected due to the loss of their invertebrate prey, or by eating contaminated insects.