A new study by Tel Aviv University and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, both in Israel, detected residues from 10 common drugs in corals in the Gulf of Aqaba, both in shallow and deep areas.
Sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic used for respiratory and urinary tract infections, was found in no less than 93 percent of the Gulf of Aqaba corals analyzed. The worrying study was led by Prof. Noa Shenkar, from Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology, and her PhD student, Gal Navon, in collaboration with the Hydrochemistry lab led by Prof. Dror Avisar.
The results were published in the journal Environmental Pollution.
Corals in the Gulf of Aqaba contaminated with antibiotics and antidepressants
“In this study, which is the first of its kind, we have carried out a large-scale drug detection investigation in corals. We collected 96 samples of reef-building stony corals, representing two types, Acropora sp. and Favites sp.from shallow areas (5-12 meters) and from the depths, beyond the limits of recreational diving (30-40 meters). We were surprised to find an extensive presence of the drugs even in deep-water corals, which usually escape the contamination that affects corals in shallower areas,” explains Prof. Shenkar.
The researchers obtained a list of the most commonly used drugs in Israel from Clalit Health Services and conducted tests for 18 of these substances. They detected 10 of them in the coral samples, without finding any samples (either from shallow or deep areas) that were free of the drugs. The 10 pharmaceutical substances detected belonged to various categories: antibiotics, blood pressure drugs, antiplatelet agents, calcium channel blockers, laxatives, proton pump inhibitors, statins and antidepressants.
How is marine life affected by human medicines?
“What does the presence of drugs in corals mean? Obviously, the corals didn’t get a prescription for antibiotics from the doctor. These drugs are taken by humans to influence a specific receptor or biological pathway, but they can affect other organisms,” explains Prof. Shenkar, cited by Phys.org.
Previous studies have shown many examples of this negative impact. Estrogen in oral contraceptives, for example, induces female traits in male fish, affecting reproduction in some species; Prozac makes some species of crabs more aggressive and reckless; and antidepressants affect memory and learning abilities of squids.
“There is no reason to believe that corals are immune to such effects. If our drugs were to disrupt the timing of coral reproduction, it could be a long time before we notice the problem, and then it could be too late,” says the researcher.
“Coral reefs are fundamental to marine biodiversity. They provide food, shelter and breeding grounds for numerous species and support the fishing and tourism industries,” adds Gal Navon.
How can we remove drugs from corals in the Gulf of Aqaba?
Today, this delicate ecosystem is under pressure from climate change, pollution and overfishing. The presence of drugs in coral tissues adds a new source of concern, demonstrating that human activities are contaminating even remote marine environments.
“It is clear that these drugs save lives and we have no intention of asking people to reduce their use. However, we need to develop new wastewater treatment methods that can effectively handle pharmaceutical compounds. Also, each of us must dispose of old medicines in ways that do not harm the environment,” says Prof. Shenkar.
Ultimately, these drugs get back to us, the researchers point out. Even those who avoid drugs can unknowingly consume a “cocktail” of drug residues when they eat contaminated fish from the marine environment.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
