Bioavailability of pharmaceuticals in Northern Pike in the St. Lawrence River

Aquatic systems near major urban centers are constantly contaminated with effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Pharmaceuticals are part of the contamination and several classes of drugs have been detected in surface waters in the last decade. To better understand the impact of those pharmaceuticals in ecosystems, the exposure to aquatic species needs to be investigated. This study presents a new simple and rugged quantitative method for the determination of several classes of drugs using plasma from Northern Pike (Esox lucius) environmentally exposed to a major but highly diluted urban effluent. The concentration of six common drugs (diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, salbutamol, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim) and one major metabolite (2-hydroxy-ibuprofen) are shown in this dataset.

Supplemental Information

The St. Lawrence Action Plan (SLAP) 2011 to 2026 (see http://planstlaurent.qc.ca/en/home.html) is the latest Canada-Quebec Agreement on the St. Lawrence and builds on the four previous agreements implemented since 1988.

The agreement aims to conserve and enhance the St. Lawrence River. For more information on SLAP, please visit https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-funding/ecosystem-initiatives/st-lawrence-action-plan.html