Detected 10 contaminants of emerging concern in Antarctic waters. / Luis Moreno (IGME-CSIC)
Human activity is negatively impacting Antarctic water quality. This is the conclusion of a study carried out by the IDAEA-CSIC in collaboration with the University of Granada, the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME-CSIC), and the Autonomous University of Madrid, which has detected the presence of 10 organic pollutants of emerging concern in freshwater and coastal marine waters of the Antarctic continent. The most relevant contaminants are various pharmaceutical products, nicotine, and caffeine, as well as UV filters, some of them with high persistence, dispersibility, and toxicity to biota.
“Nicotine and the antidepressant citalopram had not been studied before in Antarctica and we found them in 74% and 55% of the samples, respectively,” says the IDAEA researcher, Miren López de Alda.
The samples come from many different sources, including areas with human activity such as bases, camps, and tourism, as well as areas with no apparent human or animal presence. The results published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials show the presence of seven pharmaceutical products (analgesics, cholesterol and triglyceride regulators, diuretics, antibiotics, and antidepressants), nicotine and caffeine, the UV filter benzophenone-1, and industrial products.
Nota de prensa (ESP)
Nota de premsa (CAT)
Postigo, C., Moreno-Merino, L., López-García, E., López-Martínez, J., López de Alda, M., 2023 Human footprint on the water quality from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region. Journal of Hazardous Materials (2023) doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131394
Detected 10 contaminants of emerging concern in Antarctic waters. / Luis Moreno (IGME-CSIC)
Human activity is negatively impacting Antarctic water quality. This is the conclusion of a study carried out by the IDAEA-CSIC in collaboration with the University of Granada, the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME-CSIC), and the Autonomous University of Madrid, which has detected the presence of 10 organic pollutants of emerging concern in freshwater and coastal marine waters of the Antarctic continent. The most relevant contaminants are various pharmaceutical products, nicotine, and caffeine, as well as UV filters, some of them with high persistence, dispersibility, and toxicity to biota.
“Nicotine and the antidepressant citalopram had not been studied before in Antarctica and we found them in 74% and 55% of the samples, respectively,” says the IDAEA researcher, Miren López de Alda.
The samples come from many different sources, including areas with human activity such as bases, camps, and tourism, as well as areas with no apparent human or animal presence. The results published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials show the presence of seven pharmaceutical products (analgesics, cholesterol and triglyceride regulators, diuretics, antibiotics, and antidepressants), nicotine and caffeine, the UV filter benzophenone-1, and industrial products.
Nota de prensa (ESP)
Nota de premsa (CAT)
Postigo, C., Moreno-Merino, L., López-García, E., López-Martínez, J., López de Alda, M., 2023 Human footprint on the water quality from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region. Journal of Hazardous Materials (2023) doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131394
