[Pharmwaste] Livestock Steroids can Persist in Waterways. Study Finds

[Ed Gottlieb]

Laurie,
 
Thanks so much for continuing to send us links to important new
findings!
 

Ed Gottlieb
Chair, Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal
Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator
Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility
525 3rd Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 273-8381
fax: (607) 273-8433

>>> "Tenace, Laurie" <Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us> 9/27/2013 8:11 AM
>>>

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/4197/20130927/livestock-steroids-persist-waterways-study-finds.htm
 
 
Steroids given to livestock can stay in the water for a long time and
don't always break-down, a new study has found. Researchers said that
regulatory agencies might have to closely monitor some "safe" livestock
steroids to prevent damage to the aquatic ecosystem.
Anabolic steroids are usually given to livestock to boost their growth
and are generally believed to be harmless. But, researchers at the
University of Nevada, Reno and colleagues found that certain steroids
such as trenbolone might not breakdown completely as previously
thought.
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"Our team found that these substances, after a rapid breakdown in
sunlight, are capable of a unique transformation in aquatic environments
under various temperature and light-cycle scenarios where the process is
reversed," said Ed Kolodziej, co-author of the paper and environmental
engineering associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.
According to Kolodziej and his team, the study findings might also help
understand why certain fishes and other marine organisms have now
started showing changes in reproductive cycles. Trenbolone works by
binding with androgen, hormones that increase muscle build-up. The
steroids works more efficiently than testosterone and is even used by
male athletes to increase muscle mass. The steroid is banned for use in
humans in many countries, including the United States. Even in small
doses, the steroid could disrupt the reproductive cycle in women and can
lead to virilization ( http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-trenbolone.htm
).
The present research was based on both lab and field studies. The
scientists found that the steroid broke down in the presence of
sunlight, but never fully disappeared. The study even found that under
surface water conditions, the steroid persisted. Interestingly, the
remains of the steroid got together at night and regenerated the initial
steroid.
"We knew something unique was going on," David Cwiertny, Kolodziej's
research partner from the University of Iowa, said in a news release.
"In daylight, it essentially hides in another form, to evade analysis
and detection, and then at nighttime it readily transforms back to a
state that we can detect."
"Right now, I'm not alarmed, just concerned and interested in defining
the real ecological risks associated with the widespread use of potent
steroidal pharmaceuticals," Kolodziej added. He has been studying the
effects of these substances on aquatic ecosystems for 12 years.
The study is published in the journal Science (
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/recent ).
 
 
 
Laurie Tenace
Environmental Specialist
Waste Reduction Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4555
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400
850.245.8759
Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us
 


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