Abstract
The increased use and large disposal volumes of pharmaceuticals in Europe has raised concern about their impacts in marine ecosystems. Though pharmaceuticals undergo degradation, some compounds can escape through sewage treatment and remain in the environment over time.
As a pristine system, the Arctic is particularly susceptible to environmental change and stressors such as pharmaceutical pollutants. This issue has recently received attention following the detection of pharmaceuticals in Arctic waters. However, the knowledge of presence, exposure, and effects of pharmaceuticals on Arctic fauna is limited. PHARMARINE will contribute to risk assessment and policy making for pharmaceuticals by providing new knowledge on
1) Transport pathways of pharmaceuticals from populated mid-latitude Europe towards the European Arctic as well as local sources
2) Bioaccumulation and biomagnification processes of pharmaceuticals in the Arctic
3) Biological impacts of pharmaceutical pollutants on Arctic species
The transport range of pharmaceuticals may be enhanced by association to biotic and abiotic particles like phytoplankton and zooplankton. Transport along a northward transect from the Baltic Sea and the North Sea through the Norwegian Coastal Current and North Atlantic Current to Spitsbergen fjords will investigated through field sampling. These results will feed into oceanographic models for predictions of present and future scenarios for oceanic pharmaceutical transport to the Arctic. Initial modelling of horizontal transport of selected model pharmaceuticals based on literature and coastal population densities will aid determining the most suited sampling areas. Diclofenac (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), tetracycline (antibiotic), fluoxetine (antidepressant) and simvastatin (lipid lowering drug) are initially selected as model pharmaceuticals. This presentation is aimed at showing initial results of source and transport predictions.
Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of pharmaceuticals in benthic food webs will be studied in Svalbard fjords. Selected species will be exposed to pharmaceuticals to assess potential harmful effects through a series of biological end points. This will provide novel empirical information on biological impacts and the threat pharmaceuticals pose on the Arctic marine ecosystem. The resulting biological stress indicators will provide a tool to forecast and assess environmental risk of pharmaceuticals in the European Arctic.
As a pristine system, the Arctic is particularly susceptible to environmental change and stressors such as pharmaceutical pollutants. This issue has recently received attention following the detection of pharmaceuticals in Arctic waters. However, the knowledge of presence, exposure, and effects of pharmaceuticals on Arctic fauna is limited. PHARMARINE will contribute to risk assessment and policy making for pharmaceuticals by providing new knowledge on
1) Transport pathways of pharmaceuticals from populated mid-latitude Europe towards the European Arctic as well as local sources
2) Bioaccumulation and biomagnification processes of pharmaceuticals in the Arctic
3) Biological impacts of pharmaceutical pollutants on Arctic species
The transport range of pharmaceuticals may be enhanced by association to biotic and abiotic particles like phytoplankton and zooplankton. Transport along a northward transect from the Baltic Sea and the North Sea through the Norwegian Coastal Current and North Atlantic Current to Spitsbergen fjords will investigated through field sampling. These results will feed into oceanographic models for predictions of present and future scenarios for oceanic pharmaceutical transport to the Arctic. Initial modelling of horizontal transport of selected model pharmaceuticals based on literature and coastal population densities will aid determining the most suited sampling areas. Diclofenac (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), tetracycline (antibiotic), fluoxetine (antidepressant) and simvastatin (lipid lowering drug) are initially selected as model pharmaceuticals. This presentation is aimed at showing initial results of source and transport predictions.
Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of pharmaceuticals in benthic food webs will be studied in Svalbard fjords. Selected species will be exposed to pharmaceuticals to assess potential harmful effects through a series of biological end points. This will provide novel empirical information on biological impacts and the threat pharmaceuticals pose on the Arctic marine ecosystem. The resulting biological stress indicators will provide a tool to forecast and assess environmental risk of pharmaceuticals in the European Arctic.