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<p><span lang="EN">http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/01/13/metformin-diabetes-drug-pollution-lake-michigan/21734507/<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">Researchers have found that pharmaceuticals and personal care byproducts persist at low levels even miles from sewage discharge pipes out in Lake Michigan. And a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee finds the most prevalent
drug in the lake — the Type 2 diabetes medication Metformin — causes changes in the hormonal system of fish exposed to it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">But just what long-term affects it may be having on the fish and their ability to reproduce still is unknown.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">In the research group's latest study, fathead minnows were exposed to Metformin at the levels found in Lake Michigan for four weeks. Male minnows showed disruption of their endocrine systems, producing a chemical messenger usually associated
with females' egg production, said Rebecca Klaper, a professor and research scientist at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences who co-authored a 2013 paper finding Metformin and other products persisting in Lake Michigan,
such as the birth-control pill hormone progesterone and sulphamethoxazole, an antibiotic used to treat urinary tract and ear infections.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">The drugs are not completely broken down by people's bodies after ingestion, are excreted and then are not fully removed by wastewater treatment processes. The flushing of old pharmaceuticals down the toilet also contributes to the problem.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">"It's enough to raise an alarm bell that this might be something that causes changes in reproduction of fish," she said. "It's something that definitely warrants further study."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">The levels of the products are relatively minuscule —micrograms and nanograms per liter of water, Klaper said. A microgram is one-millionth of a gram; a nanogram one-billionth of a gram. What impacts they have, if any, aren't well understood
— individually or mixed together in the lake, she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">Metformin is found at the highest Lake Michigan concentrations of all the drugs tested for by researchers at up to 40 parts per billion. More than 60 million Metformin prescriptions were dispensed in the U.S. in 2013, according to drug market
research firm IMS Health.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">"It wasn't something we had really thought about before," Klaper said. "But there are a lot of people with Type 2 diabetes, and it's a very common medication to be prescribed."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">The Metformin enters wastewater treatment plants at 40 parts per billion and is found at between 100 and 200 parts per trillion two miles out in Lake Michigan, Klaper said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">"The sewage treatment plant is taking out a significant amount of the medication, but it's just that it's coming in at such a high concentration, it doesn't remove it all," she said. "A sewage treatment plant wasn't designed to take these
medications out."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">Doing something about it would be a monumental task. Metformin is the most-prescribed treatment for the millions of Americans with Type 2 diabetes. And providing sophisticated-enough filtration systems for wastewater treatment plants to remove
the drug and other personal care products is impractical.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">"It's very difficult — wastewater treatment plants aren't designed to treat nanoparticles," said Timothy Lynch, manager of the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Wastewater Treatment Plant on the shores of Lake Michigan. The plant serves about 60,000
homes and treats about 9 million gallons of waste per day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">"To retrofit with that type of technology would be very expensive, and are the paybacks for what you are accomplishing worth the cost? For most facilities and most governmental units, just maintaining the existing infrastructure is a challenge."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">Klaper said future study will look at how fish are affected over a longer term of exposure.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">"We also need to explore other compounds," she said. "This was just one of many. What happens when these are in a mixture? Which ones are the ones to focus on and get rid of? Then we've got a starting point."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span class="-newsgate-paragraph-cci-endnote-contact-"><span lang="EN">Contact Keith Matheny: (313) 222-5021 or kmatheny@freepress.com</span></span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Laurie Tenace<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Environmental Specialist<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Waste Reduction Section<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Florida Department of Environmental Protection<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4555<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">850.245.8759<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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