Drugs in the Environment May Impact How Crops and Plants Grow

Edible crops may be affected by drugs. By assessing a range of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, scientists have found that even at very low concentrations, crops can be affected.

There have been growing concerns about the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment. Some drugs are widely used and easily accessible and, through water, can seep into plants and soil. Already, scientists have pointed out the effects they can have on the development of animals and how they can give antibiotic resistance to bacteria.

"The huge amounts of pharmaceuticals we use ultimately end up in the environment, yet we know very little about their effects on flora and fauna," said Clare Redshaw, one of the researchers, in a news release. "As populations age and generic medicines become readily available, pharmaceutical use will rise dramatically and it's essential we take steps towards limiting environmental contamination. We haven't considered the impact on human health in this study, but we need to improve our understanding quickly so that appropriate testing and controls can be put in place."

In this case, the researchers examined several commonly prescribed drugs, including diclofenac and ibuprofen. They looked for the changes in edible plants, assessing factors such as water content, root and shoot length, overall size and how effectively the plants photosynthesized.

So what did they find? It turns out that each drug affected the plants in very specific ways, with marked differences between drugs that are closely related. Drugs from the fenamic acid class, for example, affected the growth of radish roots. In contrast, ibuprofen influenced the early root development of lettuce plants.

The findings reveal a bit more about how pharmaceuticals impact the environment. As researchers continue studies, it's more important than ever to develop methods to prevent drugs from seeing into the environment.

The findings are published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.