Adverse effects of pharmaceutical manufacture discharges in wild fish

Purpose : adverseeffects of APIs are documented in laboratory experiments but no data was available on the effects induced by pharmaceutical factory discharge on wildlife. The present study of individual and populational effects in gudgeons living in a stream subjected to a pharmaceutical factory discharge began as a consequence of angler's observations reporting morphological fish abnormalities such as abdominal swelling associated to gonad hypertrophy in wild gudgeons living downstream from an industrial effluent. Methods : to determine the origin of this disturbance, gudgeons were electrofished in three sites located upstream and downstream from the industrial effluent. In all sampled fish, a set of biomarkers including endocrine disruption end-point (vitellogenin, gonad histology), biotransformation enzymes, together with neurotoxicity and immunotoxicity indicators was measured. To complete the assessment of individual effects, sex-ratio of gudgeon population was analyzed and fish assemblage was characterized to identify potential population disturbance. Results and conclusions : as revealed by biotransformation enzyme responses, fish from the investigated area were exposed to organic pollutants. Downstream from the industrial effluent, fish exhibited strong signs of endocrine disruption including vitellogenin induction, intersex and male-biased sex-ratio. These individual effects were associated to a decrease of density and a lack of sensitive fish species. No cause-effect relationship can be firmly established between fish exposure to APIs, individual and population disturbances, but a set of evidence supports the hypothesis that these compounds induce observed adverseeffects and indicates that resident fish populations from both downstream sites could disappear. These results argue for the deployment of an effect-based specific monitoring of pharmaceutical factories