Pharmaceutical Pollution Is Widespread Across the World’s Waterways

Antibiotics, antidepressants and other drugs frequently leach into the environment, where they can impact ecosystems and human health.

A new modeling study estimates that every year, thousands of tons of the most-used antibiotics are released into the world’s rivers from human consumption alone—and 11 percent of them reach the world’s oceans or inland sinks. Researchers have also discovered widespread contamination of aquatic ecosystems with antidepressants, heart medications and other drugs in recent years.