For cancer patients, chemotherapeutic drugs (also called antineoplastic agents) can be very effective and life-changing, but we don’t think about what happens after that. These chemotherapeutic drugs can enter our waterways via wastewater treatment facilities. But few studies have analyzed the effects of antineoplastic agents that get released into waterways.
Researchers from the University of Florida at Gainesville published the results of two literature reviews in the journal, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. The study authors noted that because of the volume of antineoplastic agents that are being developed, it’s important that we understand the impact that these drugs have on aquatic environments so we can better regulate the process.
According to one of the study authors, Christopher J. Martyniuk, “The global population is aging, and cancer-fighting pharmaceuticals are being detected in water systems. We need to be proactive as a scientific community and identify potential gaps in our knowledge regarding the consequences of anti-neoplastic exposure in aquatic organisms.”