Calls for urgent action over pharmaceuticals found in rivers in National Parks

Additional reporting by Rob Windscheffel

A study seen by Channel 4 News reveals the levels of some drugs including antibiotics, heart medicines and paracetamol found in rivers in English National Parks, are high enough to change fish behaviour and damage plant life. Campaigners describe it as a “perverse” way to treat some of our most important habitats.

Scientists from the University of York have carried out what’s believed to be the first in-depth analysis of medical drugs in rivers, across all ten National Parks in England. Researchers tested water samples from 37 rivers during winter and summer, for 54 common medications. They found pharmaceutical contamination at 96% of locations, with some results revealing higher drug pollution levels than seen at urban sites in London, Leeds and Belfast.

The majority of these drugs found at these locations will have passed through people, been flushed down a toilet and then released into the rivers through the normal wastewater treatment process or out of a CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow).

The report warns: “Concentrations of seven pharmaceuticals were at levels of ecotoxicological concern for fish, invertebrates, and algae. Pharmaceutical pollution of National Parks could, therefore, be adversely affecting ecological health and, through freshwater recreation, potentially human health too.”

The highest concentrations were found in a water sample from the Brook Head stream, close to the village of Tideswell in the Peak District.  Test results showed propranolol, a beta-blocker often prescribed for heart conditions, at levels high enough to impact fish reproduction and growth.

The test site is a few hundred metres downstream from the Tideswell sewage treatment works.  While many factors generally affect water quality – researchers who worked on the study say untreated sewage entering the water system is the likely reason for a high concentration of paracetamol in water tested from this site.

According to the report author Professor Alistair Boxall: “These are the systems that we should really be taking care of and being really careful about. Because if we start destroying biodiversity in these systems because of chemical pollution, we’re not going to be able to recover them.”

“Sewage doesn’t just contain bacteria.  It contains a real complex mixture of chemicals that we as a society are pouring down the drain. Lots of them are pretty toxic to organisms in the environment. “

Responding to the findings Andrew McCloy, Campaign for National Parks said: “The quality of water in national parks is getting worse, not better. “

“This study has shown that the water quality, even in National Parks, is really not fit for purpose for humans and certainly not for nature.”

“It is perverse you’re in the middle of a National Park with the highest level of protection and yet because of the way the system is setup, the sewage works for small villages like Tideswell don’t need to be sophisticated, don’t need to offer advanced treatment, and this loophole is allowing rivers to get polluted.”

An Environment Agency spokesperson said:

“We are working closely with other regulators and the water industry on a series of Chemical Investigation Programmes to better understand how pharmaceutical compounds affect our water environment.”

“We have developed an early warning system to identify contaminants of emerging concern to ensure any potential risks are considered to surface waters, groundwater and soils.”

“We are also collaborating with the pharmaceuticals and veterinary medicines industry via a UK cross-government platform for discussing and exchanging knowledge on pharmaceuticals in the environment.”

A Water UK spokesperson said:

“Water companies have proposed investing a record £105 billion to ensure the security of our water supply in the future and stop sewage entering our rivers and seas. We now need Ofwat to approve these plans in full so we can get on with it.”

“Ultimately though the way we solve this problem is by stopping pharmaceutical pollution entering our water system in the first place. The EU has passed new legislation requiring pharmaceutical companies rather than bill payers to foot the cost of stopping this pollution. We want the UK Government to explore how this can be adopted in this country.”