Assessing risks and impacts of pharmaceuticals in the environment

agentaqua · Oct 20, 2014

agentaqua · Oct 22, 2014

http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/2014/10/18/2014-10-18-1/

The Birth Control Pill is Harming Fish

Saturday, October 18, 2014 | Categories:

Fathead Minnow - copyright Rankin1958 cc-by-sa-3.0

Listen http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/2014/10/18/2014-10-18-1/#

download http://cbc.ca/quirks/media/2014-2015/qq-2014-10-18_01.mp3

Residue from birth control pills in sewage can cause populations of a minnow species to crash, affecting the species that prey on them.

We have known for years now that many pharmaceuticals make their way into our waterways, through residues in urine, or by disposal of unused drugs down our toilets. The consequences are often detrimental to aquatic wildlife. One well known consequence is the feminization of male fish, which has a negative impact on reproduction. This is attributed to traces of the sex hormone estrogen making its way through sewage filtration facilities into rivers and lakes. Dr. Karen Kidd, a Canada Research Chair and Professor of Biology at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John has studied this phenomenon in the fathead minnow in an experimental lake in Northern Ontario. The subsequent crash of the fathead minnow population upset the balance of the entire ecosystem. This included a sharp decline in the trout population, which prey on the minnow. Researchers were surprised that the minnow population was able to recover as estrogen levels declined.

Related Links

•Paper in The Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing....ract?sid=a21849d6-7dc1-4959-956b-8a48a966a285
•University of New Brunswick release http://blogs.unb.ca/newsroom/2014/1...nd-surprising-effects-on-freshwater-wildlife/
•The Guardian news story http://www.theguardian.com/environm...nvironment-could-be-cause-of-wildlife-decline
•CBC News story http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/birth-control-pill-threatens-fish-populations-1.2796897

agentaqua · Oct 25, 2014

http://www.southasianfocus.ca/news/new-campaign-urges-ontarians-not-to-flush-unwanted-medicines/
New campaign urges Ontarians not to flush unwanted medicines
By Nouman Khalil
nkhalil@metroland.com
PEEL – Urging consumers to take a closer look at their water use habits, a new Ontario-wide campaign has been launched to create public awareness about what they flush down their toilets.
The Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) and the Clean Water Foundation (CWF) recently (Oct. 15) launched “I Don’t Flush” public awareness campaign in partnership with the Municipality of York Region, the Region of Peel and the Health Product Stewardship Association.
The campaign is an extension of the existing program, Prescription for Clean Water, which was launched earlier this spring in an effort to protect water sources in Ontario.
The I Don’t Flush campaign is aimed at changing public behavioral and to tell them that there are better ways to dispose of non-flushable items such as medicines.
Everyday, a large Canadians dispose of unwanted or expired medications in an uncontrolled manner.
According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, over 3,500 species of plants and animals inhabit the Great Lakes basin, including more than 170 species of fish.
The drive encourages the public to return their unused/unwanted medications back to the pharmacy as opposed to flushing them down the toilet or drain or throwing them in the garbage.
“I Don’t Flush is a fun, somewhat cheeky campaign, that we hope resonates with Ontarians, but at its core it is a very serious environmental stewardship effort,” said Christopher Hilkene, president of Clean Water Foundation. “We expect to stimulate a measurable increase in the amount of unused medications being returned to pharmacies and collection centres and diverted from our lakes and rivers.”
A World Health Organization (WHO) study shows Canadians spend over $2.75 billion every year treating drinking water and wastewater. Another study of Environment Canada says Canadians spent about $300 million per year on managing health problems related to water pollution.
“When unused medications are flushed down the drain or toilet, they can make their way back into our lakes and rivers. Even thrown in the garbage, pharmaceuticals can either seep into groundwater or accumulate in a landfill leachate.
“Many people are unaware that they should bring back their unused medications to the pharmacy or to a municipal collection centre where they can be properly disposed of. We’re trying to empower the public,” said Nick Reid, executive director of Strategic Partnerships at Ontario Clean Water Agency.
Notable Ontarians such as ET Canada’s Rick Campanelli, TVO’s The Water Brothers, TSN’s Cabbie Richards and Mississauga’s Mayor Hazel McCallion are also supporting the campaign and are encouraging the public to ‘not flush’ their unused pharmaceuticals.
For more information, visit www.idontflush.ca.

agentaqua · Oct 25, 2014

http://idontflush.ca/
http://cleanwaterfoundation.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgD7obhbbFc
<iframe width="940" height="529" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VK6qlaChIis" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Most pharmacies will take back unused/expired pharmaceuticals – visit www.healthsteward.ca to find your local pharmacy by address/postal code.

agentaqua · Dec 29, 2016

The Surprising Side Effect of Anti-Anxiety Medication—on Salmon
Salmon exposed to oxazepam migrate nearly twice as fast as their unmedicated counterparts.
by Raina Delisle
Published December 29, 2016
https://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-short/surprising-side-effect-anti-anxiety-medication-salmon

Assessing risks and impacts of pharmaceuticals in the environment

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