Range of pharmaceuticals found in fish, clams and sea urchins in waters around two research stations, says New Zealand researchers

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The last great wilderness on Earth now has traces of personal care products and steroid hormones.

New Zealand scientists have said the waters around two Antarctic research stations have evidence of the active ingredients found in soaps, fragrances, sunscreens and lotions.

Researchers from the University of Canterbury and Northcott Research Consultants studied the levels of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, or PPCPs, around New Zealand’s Scott Base and the US facility McMurdo Station.

They found the active ingredients were present up to 25km from where sewage was discharged into the sea from treatment plants.

And they found traces of PPCPs in clams, fish and sea urchins collected from around the bases.

The study speculated that predatory species such as seals could be exposed to the micropollutants if they ate contaminated fish. But the authors said more research was needed to understand the impact on marine life.

Waste from scientific research stations is released directly into the seawater, and some of it is not treated at all.

It is the first time the presence of PPCPs and hormones in Antarctica has been investigated.