05 Sep 2024

England’s National Parks, renowned for their natural beauty and diverse wildlife, are facing a hidden threat: pharmaceutical pollution. New research from the University of York and the Rivers Trust has revealed widespread contamination of rivers in the parks, with antidepressants, anticonvulsants, antimicrobials, anti-inflammatory substances, lipid regulators and diabetes treatments being detected. The study found pharmaceuticals […]

13 Jul 2022

Common medications, as well as illegal drugs, released into the environment can damage ecosystems and interfere with the growth and behaviour of animals and plants. The medicines that make us well are having untold impacts on nature, says a news piece from the Natural History Museum. After entering the water through sewage systems, rainwater runoff and factory discharges, […]

19 Oct 2021

Pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors increasingly contaminate the world’s freshwaters. New research provides direct evidence of their transfer from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems via the consumption of aquatic insects by terrestrial predators such as spiders, birds and bats. This exposure may have negative impacts on the physiology and population dynamics of predators, suggesting a need for […]