[Pharmwaste] Are sharks, earthworms on drugs?

[Minskey, Cheryl]

Are sharks, earthworms on drugs?
<http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080227/BLOG28/405397574> 
Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Sarasota, FL, USA

"Did you know scientists are looking for anti-depressants and Viagra in the
bloodstreams of sharks?"
I asked that question over the phone to my editorial-writing colleague Daryl
Lease.
He quickly replied, "They could go to any bar in Florida and find what
they're looking for."
An editorial in Sunday's Sarasota Herald-Tribune commented on the search for
pharmaceuticals in the bloodstreams of sharks -- the variety that dwells in
the Gulf of Mexico and swims up rivers like the Caloosahatchee.
 http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080224/OPINION/802240663/1030
Information on shark research is available at the Mote Marine Laboratory in
Sarasota. 
http://www.mote.org/
The editorial mentioned California scientist Steve Bay's investigations. Bay
was recently interviewed by the Voice of San Diego.
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2008/02/23/news/bay022308.txt
Bay said, "We have only recently developed the analytical tools needed to
measure the concentration and potential effects of the wide variety of other
chemicals discharged into the marine environment, like pharmaceuticals, flame
retardants and plastic additives. Our understanding of the fate and effects
of these types of chemicals is emerging because we have been investigating
them for only a short time and many significant data gaps remain."
Martketplace, a National Public Radio program, recently reported, "Medicine
has been found in treated wastewater, which flows into rivers, lakes and
oceans, harming fish and other marine life."
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/02/20/drugs_in_the_water/
Speaking of lower forms of life, earthworms are ingesting beauty products.
Chemicals caught up in sewage sludge put on farm fields or applied to gardens
can end up in earthworms, according to a recent study by the U.S. Geologic
Survey. Get the scoop here:
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2008/feb/science/nl_earthworm
s.html 
http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/earthworms.html
"Earthworms studied in agricultural fields have been found to contain organic
chemicals from household products and manure, indicating that such substances
are entering the food chain," the USGS reports.
"Earthworms continuously ingest soils for nourishment and can accumulate the
chemicals present in the soil."
Meanwhile, in Victoria, British Columbia, The Times Colonist recently
reported that, "More than 100 people delved into the murky scientific, social
and political waters of sewage treatment" at a public forum/
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=417683d9-1b16-
48a3-91e6-6ad8cc2d2b3a&k=58939


Cheryl Minskey
Residuals Specialist
Domestic Wastewater Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road, MS#3540
Tallahassee, FL  32399-2400
850/245-8619
850/245-8621 Fax
SC 205-8619



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