Pharmaceutical pollution in a wastewater-impacted coastal ecosystem.

Pharmaceutical concentrations across Port Phillip Bay increase with wastewater influence, with telmisartan detected in 83% of samples and enrichment in sea foam over seawater.

• Why it matters: Coastal sewage outfalls are a major suspected source, but how pharmaceuticals distribute along wastewater gradients in marine ecosystems is still poorly characterized.
• What they did: In Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne, Australia, researchers sampled marine invertebrates, macroalgae, and marine/terrestrial plants across four sites along a wastewater gradient and measured δ15N and pharmaceuticals among 95 targets.
• The result: Fifteen analytes were detected, and pharmaceutical concentration was positively associated with δ15N; follow-up sampling found higher concentrations in sea foam than seawater, suggesting air-water interface enrichment and potential aerosol transport.

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