<p class="title">Traces of the medicine and personal care products are winding up in the rivers, lakes, and oceans through sewage, potentially affecting aquatic environments, scientists say.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Researchers from Rutgers University in the US found that bacteria in sewage treatment plants may be creating new contaminants that have not been evaluated for potential risks.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The scientists tested the ability of bacteria in sludge from a sewage treatment plant to break down two widely used pharmaceutical products: naproxen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and guaifenesin, an expectorant in many cough and cold medications.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They also tested two common compounds in personal care products: oxybenzone, a key ingredient in many sunscreens, and methylparaben, a preservative in many cosmetics.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bacteria that do not require oxygen to grow in the sludge broke down methylparaben, but the microbes only partially broke down the three other chemicals -- and created new contaminants in the process, according to the study published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The partial breakdown of pharmaceuticals and personal care products is important because it results in a stream of possible contaminants in waterways that may have biological effects on impacted environments," said Abigail W Porter, from Rutgers University.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"These contaminants and their potential risks have yet to be studied," they said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Contaminants of emerging concern, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, are increasingly found at low levels in surface water, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There is concern that these chemical compounds may have an impact on aquatic life and human health.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Our findings can help us assess other widely used pharmaceutical and personal care products with similar chemical structures," said Lily Young, from Rutgers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"By predicting or assessing the chemicals that might form during the breakdown process, we can identify and quantify them in the environment," Young said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Scientists are interested in how anaerobic microorganisms, such as bacteria that thrive in zero-oxygen conditions, break down the chemicals in pharmaceuticals and personal care products.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The team studied two bacterial communities: one in sludge from a sewage treatment plant and the other in low-oxygen subsurface sediment in a clean marine environment off Tuckerton, New Jersey.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The researchers previously showed that bacteria can transform the anti-inflammatory drug naproxen.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The researchers found that the two microbial communities had different types of bacteria. However, both communities transformed the four chemicals, which have very different structures, in the same way.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Future research will look at sediment samples from different environmental locations to evaluate the long-term persistence of transformed chemicals. </p>
<p class="title">Traces of the medicine and personal care products are winding up in the rivers, lakes, and oceans through sewage, potentially affecting aquatic environments, scientists say.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Researchers from Rutgers University in the US found that bacteria in sewage treatment plants may be creating new contaminants that have not been evaluated for potential risks.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The scientists tested the ability of bacteria in sludge from a sewage treatment plant to break down two widely used pharmaceutical products: naproxen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and guaifenesin, an expectorant in many cough and cold medications.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They also tested two common compounds in personal care products: oxybenzone, a key ingredient in many sunscreens, and methylparaben, a preservative in many cosmetics.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bacteria that do not require oxygen to grow in the sludge broke down methylparaben, but the microbes only partially broke down the three other chemicals -- and created new contaminants in the process, according to the study published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The partial breakdown of pharmaceuticals and personal care products is important because it results in a stream of possible contaminants in waterways that may have biological effects on impacted environments," said Abigail W Porter, from Rutgers University.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"These contaminants and their potential risks have yet to be studied," they said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Contaminants of emerging concern, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, are increasingly found at low levels in surface water, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There is concern that these chemical compounds may have an impact on aquatic life and human health.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Our findings can help us assess other widely used pharmaceutical and personal care products with similar chemical structures," said Lily Young, from Rutgers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"By predicting or assessing the chemicals that might form during the breakdown process, we can identify and quantify them in the environment," Young said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Scientists are interested in how anaerobic microorganisms, such as bacteria that thrive in zero-oxygen conditions, break down the chemicals in pharmaceuticals and personal care products.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The team studied two bacterial communities: one in sludge from a sewage treatment plant and the other in low-oxygen subsurface sediment in a clean marine environment off Tuckerton, New Jersey.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The researchers previously showed that bacteria can transform the anti-inflammatory drug naproxen.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The researchers found that the two microbial communities had different types of bacteria. However, both communities transformed the four chemicals, which have very different structures, in the same way.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Future research will look at sediment samples from different environmental locations to evaluate the long-term persistence of transformed chemicals. </p>