“With an inconspicuous mind” is a way of treating us to wash away the bathroom. But from anxiety to antibiotics, the medicine we take does not go away after leaving our bodies.
Many people are not completely removed by the wastewater treatment system and end in rivers, lakes and streams and can affect wild animals in unexpected ways.
In us New studyWe have investigated how the sedative of Clobazam, commonly prescribed for sleep and anxiety disorders, affects the migration of the youth in the youth.Salmo) From the central Swedish river to the Baltic Sea.
Our findings suggest that even small traces in the environment can change animal behavior in a way that can form survival and success in the wild.
recent Global survey Among the rivers in the world, drugs have been found to contaminate all continents, even the waterways of Antarctica. These substances enter the aquatic ecosystem through our everyday use, and not only pass through the body and sewage systems, but also enter the aquatic ecosystem due to inappropriate disposal and industrial wastewater.
Almost so far 1,000 other active pharmaceuticals It has been detected in the world environment.
Especially worrying is the fact that the biological goals of many drugs, such as the receptors of the human brain, are present in different species. It means that wild animals can be affected.
in fact, research In the last decades, pharmaceutical contaminants have shown that they can interfere with the extensive characteristics of animals, including physiology, development and reproduction.
Wild pharmaceutical contamination
The effects of pharmaceutical contaminants were relatively attention, Laboratory research These various pollutants can change the brain function and behavior of fish and other animals.
This is a major cause of concern, given that all important behaviors in survival, including avoiding predators and structures for social interactions, can be confused.
Laboratory -based studies have provided useful insights, but experimental conditions rarely reflect nature’s complexity. The environment is dynamic and difficult to predict, and animals often act differently in controlled environments. That’s why we began to test the impact of pharmaceutical exposure in the wild.
As part of a large -scale field study in central Sweden, we slowly emit Clobazam (general pharmaceutical contaminants) and slowly emit a small tracking transmitter to the young western salmon of sea movement through DAL.
We have increased the success of this migration, which we moved to this river. More chlobatam treatment salmon has reached the Baltic Sea compared to untreated fish. This Clobazam exposure salmon has also reduced time to pass through two major hydroelgers that delay or block salmon movement.
To better understand these changes, we showed how Clobazam also changed the fish group and how scientists moved together when they faced predators.
This suggests that migration changes observed in the wild can be from the movement of drugs of social dynamics and risk -sensitive behavior.
What does this mean for wild animals?
Our research shows that pharmaceutical contamination can affect the outcome of the animal as well as the behavior of the laboratory.
The increase in migration success can sound like a positive effect at first, but all interruptions on natural behavior can have a ripple effect throughout the ecosystem.
Even the beneficial changes in animal behavior, such as faster passes through barriers, can be costly. For example, changes in migration timing can be able to arrive at the sea or expose new predators and danger when the conditions are not ideal. Over time, these subtle changes can affect the epidemiology of the entire population and can threaten the balance of the ecosystem.
Pharmaceuticals are essential to keep people and animals healthy. But when these drugs are accumulated in the rivers and lakes, they need a smarter approach to keep the waterway clean.
One part of the solution is to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant. Some advanced methods like this: ozoneBubble of ozone gas through wastewater to break down contaminants can be effective in eliminating constraints. However, these advanced processing systems are often expensive to be out of installation and scope in many regions.
Another promising road is green chemistry. Designs drugs that are easier to break down in the environment or less toxic after use. There is our team It has been emphasized recently This is a key stage to reduce the constraints of the environment.
Strong regulations and better drug treatment practices can also help prevent drugs from ending in the waterway.
There is no single modification, but by developing and integrating science, technology and policies, it can protect wild animals from the impact of unintended pharmaceutical contamination. 
Jack brandAction and Exercise Ecology Research Institute, Swedish Agricultural Science University and Michael Burt LamSwedish Agricultural Science University and Invited Research Institute Ecological and Ecological Toxic Professors Stockholm University
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