Understanding pharmaceutical exposure and the potential for effects in marine biota: A survey of bonefish (Albula vulpes) across the Caribbean Basin

N A Castillo; W R James; R O Santos; R Rezek; D Cerveny; R E Boucek; A J Adams; T Goldberg; L Campbell; A U Perez; J J Schmitter-Soto; J P Lewis; J Fick; T Brodin; J S Rehage

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140949

Understanding pharmaceutical exposure and the potential for effects in marine biota: A survey of bonefish (Albula vulpes) across the Caribbean Basin

Chemosphere. 2024 Feb:349:140949. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140949. Epub 2023 Dec 12.

Authors

N A Castillo¹, W R James², R O Santos³, R Rezek⁴, D Cerveny⁵, R E Boucek⁶, A J Adams⁷, T Goldberg⁸, L Campbell⁸, A U Perez⁶, J J Schmitter-Soto⁹, J P Lewis⁶, J Fick¹⁰, T Brodin¹¹, J S Rehage¹²

Affiliations

¹ Earth and Environment Department, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Earth and Environment Department, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; Department of Biology, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
³ Department of Biology, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
⁴ Department of Marine Science, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC, USA.
⁵ Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden; Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Vodňany, Czech Republic.
⁶ Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, Miami, FL, USA.
⁷ Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, Miami, FL, USA; Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Fort Pierce, FL, USA.
⁸ Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
⁹ Departmento de Sistemática y Ecología Acuática, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chetumal, Mexico.
¹⁰ Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
¹¹ Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.
¹² Earth and Environment Department, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.

PMID: 38096990
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140949

Abstract

Most research on pharmaceutical presence in the environment to date has focused on smaller scale assessments of freshwater and riverine systems, relying mainly on assays of water samples, while studies in marine ecosystems and of exposed biota are sparse. This study investigated the pharmaceutical burden in bonefish (Albula vulpes), an important recreational and artisanal fishery, to quantify pharmaceutical exposure throughout the Caribbean Basin. We sampled 74 bonefish from five regions, and analyzed them for 102 pharmaceuticals. We assessed the influence of sampling region on the number of pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical assemblage, and risk of pharmacological effects. To evaluate the risk of pharmacological effects at the scale of the individual, we proposed a metric based on the human therapeutic plasma concentration (H_TPC), comparing measured concentrations to a threshold of 1/3 the H_TPC for each pharmaceutical. Every bonefish had at least one pharmaceutical, with an average of 4.9 and a maximum of 16 pharmaceuticals in one individual. At least one pharmaceutical was detected in exceedance of the 1/3 H_TPC threshold in 39% of bonefish, with an average of 0.6 and a maximum of 11 pharmaceuticals exceeding in a Key West individual. The number of pharmaceuticals (49 detected in total) differed across regions, but the risk of pharmacological effects did not (23 pharmaceuticals exceeded the 1/3 H_TPC threshold). The most common pharmaceuticals were venlafaxine (43 bonefish), atenolol (36), naloxone (27), codeine (27), and trimethoprim (24). Findings suggest that pharmaceutical detections and concentration may be independent, emphasizing the need to monitor risk to biota regardless of exposure diversity, and to focus on risk quantified at the individual level. This study supports the widespread presence of pharmaceuticals in marine systems and shows the utility of applying the H_TPC to assess the potential for pharmacological effects, and thus quantify impact of exposure at large spatial scales.

Keywords: Aquatic contamination; Bonefish; Coastal environments; Marine environments; Pharmaceutical; Therapeutic concentrations.

MeSH terms

Animals
Biota
Caribbean Region
Ecosystem*
Environmental Monitoring
Fishes
Humans
Pharmaceutical Preparations
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / toxicity

Substances

Pharmaceutical Preparations
Water Pollutants, Chemical