Pharmaceuticals in the water: histological effects and intersex wildlife and sexual disruption

Pharmaceuticals can cause serious hazardous effects on the aquatic environment. Humans that are being treated with the drugs often excrete the hazardous pharmaceuticals that are of interest in this paper. Wastewater treatment plants are unable to completely remove the pharmaceuticals from the water and thus the fish downstream of the sewage effluents are the most likely to be affected. The following steroid estrogens and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have serious effects on wild fish: 17β-estradiol, estrone, and 17α-ethinylestradiol, and diclofenac. The steroid estrogen pharmaceuticals have been proven to cause sexual disruption in a variety of wild fish including: roach fish, white suckers, and zebra fish. The NSAIDs have been proven to cause major histological effects that lead to organ failure in other wild fish species, including the rainbow trout. The public health importance of studying these hazardous pharmaceutical and their effects on the ecosystem is necessary to determine long-term effects and potential hazardous effects to humans