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<a name="1"></a><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/usgs/EnvironmentalHealth/~3/0pGb5BZ_AZk/article.asp?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email"><b><font size="4" color="#000099" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#000099;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none">Understanding
how Pharmaceuticals in the Environment Affect Fish</span></font></b></a><font size="4"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<font size="3" color="#555555" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#555555">Posted: 13 Nov 2015 08:29 AM PST<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:140%"><strong><b><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Summary:</span></font></b></strong><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">
Fish health may be affected by pharmaceuticals in treated wastewater released into streams and other water bodies, according to a recent laboratory and field study by the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory at St. Cloud State University and the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) </span></font><font size="1" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<h3 style="line-height:140%"><em><b><i><font size="4" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Results Show Impacts to both Juveniles and Adults</span></font></i></b></em><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></font></h3>
<p style="line-height:140%"><strong><b><font size="1" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Contact Information:</span></font></b></strong><font size="1" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="1" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><a href="mailto:hschoenfuss@stcloudstate.edu%20"><b><font color="#000099"><span style="color:#000099;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none">Heiko
Schoenfuss, SCSU</span></font></b></a> ( Phone: 320-308-3130 ); <a href="mailto:dwkolpin@usgs.gov%20">
<b><font color="#000099"><span style="color:#000099;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none">Dana Kolpin, USGS</span></font></b></a> ( Phone: 319-358-3614 );
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:140%"><font size="1" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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</span></font></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Fish health may be affected by pharmaceuticals in treated wastewater released into streams and
other water bodies, according to a recent laboratory and field study by the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory at St. Cloud State University and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This research is published in a special edition of
<em><i><font face="Georgia"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif"">Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry
</span></font></i></em>related to pharmaceuticals in the environment.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">This study looked for effects from nine individual pharmaceuticals, as well as varying mixtures
of these chemicals, on both juvenile and adult fathead minnows. The selected pharmaceuticals and corresponding exposure levels for the laboratory experiments were guided by
<a href="http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/PMFs.html"><b><font color="#000099"><span style="color:#000099;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none">previous USGS research</span></font></b></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">”Exploring the effects of multiple pharmaceuticals in mixtures at concentrations previous measured
in the environment provided for immediate relevance of the study,” said St. Cloud State University scientist Heiko Schoenfuss, the lead author of the study. “The pharmaceuticals studied are highly prescribed and have been found in the environment in previous
studies, including by our USGS co-authors.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Prior USGS research has also documented the release of pharmaceuticals is greater in areas where
local sources of pharmaceuticals, such as medicinal manufacturers, may contribute a disproportionately larger amount of pharmaceuticals to wastewater treatment plants. In addition, one of the wastewater treatment plants receiving waste from pharmaceutical
manufacturing was also used for the field component of this research.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Fathead minnows were used as they are a common laboratory model for studies of this kind and are
also an ecologically important species that can be found throughout North America. The minnows were exposed to both individual pharmaceuticals and mixtures of these chemicals in a laboratory setting as well as to treated wastewater at a wastewater treatment
plant to represent a real world setting.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">“Including the field exposures was an important part of this study,” said USGS scientist Dana Kolpin,
one of the study’s co-authors. “Our research documented that effects observed in the field are not always easily reconciled by laboratory studies because of the full complexity of real-world conditions. Because of this, it’s crucial to include a wide variety
of conditions and organism life stages when assessing the effects of pharmaceuticals on aquatic ecosystem health.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">A comprehensive suite of symptoms of adverse health effects across minnow life stages were assessed
for this study. Juvenile fathead minnows exposed to the pharmaceuticals suffered from reduced growth and altered escape behavior. This means that, when faced with a threat, the minnows did not escape as efficiently as they normally would, potentially increasing
the chances they would be eaten and that could ultimately translate to population level effects.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Interestingly, adult females and males were found to react differently to pharmaceutical exposures.
Adult females generally experienced an increase in relative liver size compared to control females, suggesting that the liver is reacting to the influx of pharmaceuticals.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Meanwhile, adult males exposed to the pharmaceuticals had a variety of reactions. Most did not
defend their nests as rigorously as those that were not exposed to the pharmaceuticals. The males exposed to wastewater treatment plant effluent in the field component of this research ended up producing a chemical known as
<em><i><font face="Georgia"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif"">plasma vitellogenin</span></font></i></em>, a protein associated with egg production in females and is an indicator of feminization of male fish.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">The following pharmaceutical chemicals were studied:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:48.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:140%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Hydrocodone: an opioid pain reliever<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:48.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:140%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Methadone: an opioid pain reliever<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:48.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:140%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3.<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Oxycodone: an opioid pain reliever<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:48.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:140%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">4.<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Tramadol: an opioid agonist pain reliever<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:48.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:140%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">5.<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Methocarbamol: a muscle relaxant<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:48.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:140%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">6.<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Fluoxetine: an antidepressant<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:48.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:140%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">7.<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Paroxetine: an antidepressant<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:48.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:140%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">8.<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Venlafaxine: an antidepressant<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:48.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:140%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">9.<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">Temazepam: a sleep aid<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:140%"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:140%;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">The paper describing the results of this study in detail can be found in
<em><i><font face="Georgia"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif"">Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry</span></font></i></em>, and is part of a long-term effort to understand the fate and effects of contaminants of emerging concern and to provide water-resource
managers with objective information that assists in the development of effective water management practices.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" color="black" face="Georgia"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black">To learn more about the study, please see our <a href="http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/2015-11-13-pharmacuticals_and_minnows.html"><b><font color="#000099"><span style="color:#000099;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none">science
feature</span></font></b></a>. To learn more about USGS environmental health science, please visit the <a href="http://www.usgs.gov/envirohealth/" target="_blank"><b><font color="#000099"><span style="color:#000099;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none">USGS
Environmental Health website</span></font></b></a> and sign up for our <a href="http://www.usgs.gov/envirohealth/geohealth/index.html" target="_blank"><b><font color="#000099"><span style="color:#000099;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none">GeoHealth Newsletter</span></font></b></a>.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" color="#000099" face="Times New Roman"><o:p> </o:p></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Deborah L. DeBiasi</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><b><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold">Email: Deborah.DeBiasi@deq.virginia.gov</span></font></b><b><i><font size="2" color="red"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:red;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic"><br>
</span></font></i></b><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">WEB site address:
<a href="http://www.deq.virginia.gov/">www.deq.virginia.gov</a></span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Virginia Department of Environmental Quality</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Office of Water Permits
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Industrial Pretreatment/Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) Program</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><a href="http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/PermittingCompliance/PollutionDischargeElimination/Microconstituents.aspx">http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/PermittingCompliance/PollutionDischargeElimination/Microconstituents.aspx</a></span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Mail: P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA 23218</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Location: 629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">PH: 804-698-4028 FAX: 804-698-4032<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" color="#000099" face="Times New Roman"><o:p> </o:p></font></p>
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