A Preliminary Ecotoxicity Study of Pharmaceuticals in the Marine Environment

Abstract

Environmental fates and effects of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment have been the focus of recent research in environmental ecotoxicology. Worldwide studies of common over-the-counter pharmaceuticals have reported detectable levels in the aquatic environment, but there are few studies examining impacts on marine habitats. These drugs can affect the functions of various vertebrates and invertebrates. The stability of two pharmaceuticals, cyclizine (CYC) and prochlorperazine (PCZ), in seawater was examined under light and dark conditions, as well as the toxicity of these compounds to larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite, which is a cosmopolitan marine organism found in most of the world's oceans. CYC was very stable under all the tested conditions. On the other hand, PCZ degraded in light but not in the dark, and was more stable in seawater than fresh water. For the barnacle larvae, the LC₅₀ of prochlorperazine was 0.93 μg/ml and the LC₅₀ for CYC was approximately 0.04 μg/ml.

Acknowledgments

This study was funded through research grant 0121050037 awarded by the Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR) for the Marine Environments Program of the Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore. Support on the stability (or chemical) analysis was from the Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore. The authors thank all research team members who have contributed technical assistance and comments.