{"id":620985,"date":"2024-05-18T23:30:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T20:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/cancer-drug-pollution-is-a-growing-global-concern\/"},"modified":"2024-05-18T23:30:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T20:30:01","slug":"cancer-drug-pollution-is-a-growing-global-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/cancer-drug-pollution-is-a-growing-global-concern\/","title":{"rendered":"#Cancer drug pollution is a growing global concern"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4457ce7f288\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4457ce7f288\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/cancer-drug-pollution-is-a-growing-global-concern\/#Cancer_drugs_in_our_ecosystems\" >Cancer drugs in our ecosystems<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/cancer-drug-pollution-is-a-growing-global-concern\/#Fast-growing_killers\" >Fast-growing killers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/cancer-drug-pollution-is-a-growing-global-concern\/#Something_fishy_in_the_water\" >Something fishy in the water<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/cancer-drug-pollution-is-a-growing-global-concern\/#So_what_now\" >So what now?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/fish.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2024\/fish.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2024\/fish.jpg\" alt=\"fish\" title=\"Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As incidence of cancer <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/d41586-024-00720-6\">increases globally<\/a>, the use of cancer drugs is also growing at a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11356-014-3902-8\">rate of approximately 10 percent per year in developed countries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"article-banner first-banner ads-336x280\"><!-- \/4988204\/Phys_Story_InText_Box --><br \/>\n      <\/section>\n<p>Pharmaceuticals significantly contribute to the improvement of human health; however, their environmental impacts have also become a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/agenda\/2022\/02\/pharmaceutical-pollution-health-drugs-rivers\/\">major concern<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cancer_drugs_in_our_ecosystems\"><\/span>Cancer drugs in our ecosystems<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Among the many molecules used to treat cancers are cytostatics.<\/p>\n<p>As defined by the United States&#8217; National Institutes of Health (NIH), a cystostatic is &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/publications\/dictionaries\/cancer-terms\/def\/cytostatic-agent\">a substance that slows or stops the growth of cells, including cancer cells, without killing them<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When a cancer patient takes these drugs, the chemicals in them, including cytostatics, are eventually evacuated through the patients&#8217; solid and liquid waste.<\/p>\n<p>A patients&#8217; waste ends up in the hospital or domestic wastewater system, where the chemicals in it are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2013.12.050\">not entirely eliminated by end of pipe wastewater treatment plants<\/a>. These chemicals can then <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2021.149598\">find their way into aquatic ecosystems, and even our drinking water supply, at varying concentrations.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Cytostatic drugs are now classified as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/wqc\/contaminants-emerging-concern-including-pharmaceuticals-and-personal-care-products\">contaminants of emerging concern<\/a> (CECs) due to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.cej.2020.127184\">their hazardous environmental impact<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The message is clear: this problem is only going to get worse as more people use cancer drugs.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fast-growing_killers\"><\/span>Fast-growing killers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Cytostatic drugs, while essential for cancer treatments, pose significant hazards to all life\u2014and especially to aquatic organisms.<\/p>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhm.ac.uk\/discover\/news\/2022\/july\/drug-pollution-threatening-water-quality-worlds-rivers.html\">continuous release of pharmaceuticals<\/a> into aquatic ecosystems (even at low levels) can reduce surface water quality, endanger biodiversity and disrupt ecosystem functioning.<\/p>\n<p>Despite some research initiatives, such as by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/265264\/reporting\">CYTOTHREAT in Europe<\/a>, the baseline data sets needed to inform regulators about the risks posed by these emerging contaminants is lacking, including in Canada.<\/p>\n<p>A <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ceaeq.gouv.qc.ca\/ecotoxicologie\/revue-cytostatiques.pdf\">recent report<\/a>, published by the Center d&#8217;expertise en analyse environnementale du Qu\u00e9bec (CEAEQ), laid bare the potential risks associated with the main cytostatics registered in Canada.<\/p>\n<p>The risks are myriad, but of particular concern to our research is the toxic impact they have upon fish larvae.<\/p>\n<p>Five cytostatics were highlighted as posing a particular risk in the CEAEQ report. These cytostatics include <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2012.12.061\">tamoxifen (to treat breast cancer)<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.talanta.2011.08.034\">methotrexate (to treat non-Hodgkin&#8217;s lymphoma), capecitabine (to treat colorectal cancer) and both cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide which are used to treat several types of cancers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Something_fishy_in_the_water\"><\/span>Something fishy in the water<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Our research group studied these five cytostatics and the health consequences they pose for fish embryos.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00128-021-03146-2\">At first<\/a>, we found no significant negative effects on fish mortality, hatching success or heart rate.<\/p>\n<p>However, a closer look revealed that ifosfamide had a noticeable effect on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sqonline.ucsd.edu\/2023\/03\/swim-bladder-would-being-stabbed-be-beneficial-to-a-fish\/\">swim bladder inflation<\/a> in fish. The swim bladder fulfills a critical function for maintaining buoyancy in water. Without an inflated swim bladder, fish cannot freely swim in the water column and are unlikely to survive.<\/p>\n<p>Further molecular analysis is needed to determine a definitive causal relationship between cytostatics exposure and issues in swim bladder inflation.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00128-024-03896-9\">In a followup study<\/a> published in April 2024, our research team found that cytostatic chemicals also affected <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cancer.ca\/en\/cancer-information\/cancer-types\/thyroid\/what-is-thyroid-cancer\/the-thyroid\">thyroid hormone regulation<\/a> in fish embryos.<\/p>\n<p>The disruption of the thyroid hormone function could lead to developmental deficiencies in fish, including the swim bladder disorder <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00128-021-03146-2\">we detected in our first study<\/a>. This raises concerns about the long-term health impact of the presence of cytostatics in aquatic ecosystems.<\/p>\n<p>The consequences could be far reaching. Fish are not only a vital component of aquatic food webs, but also serve as indicators of the overall ecosystem health. Any disruption to their development and survival could have cascading effects on biodiversity.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So_what_now\"><\/span>So what now?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Can we mitigate the impact of these pharmaceuticals on aquatic environments?<\/p>\n<p>Proper disposal of unused medications is essential, as is investment in wastewater treatment technologies which can filter out cytostatics. These actions must also be backed up by robust new regulations to reduce pharmaceutical pollution. Cancer drugs are essential, so we must learn how to use them responsibly.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time we must continue research into the environmental effects of commonly used drugs with an aim to understanding their full impact and developing targeted solutions.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2022.158559\">Researchers are actively studying the risks to humans of cytostatic drugs contaminating our drinking water<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While this is a developing field of study, and much remains unknown, it is already clear that long-term exposure to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/drugs-supplements\/cyclophosphamide-oral-route-intravenous-route\/description\/drg-20063307\">cyclophosphamide\u2014a drug commonly used to treat a range of cancers \u2014<\/a> in drinking water poses a real risk to children&#8217;s health.<\/p>\n<p>It is not beyond the realm of possibility to imagine a future feedback loop where the increased use of cancer-treating cytostatics themselves leads to increasing rates of cancer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium mt-4\">\n<p>                                                    Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                            The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                                                                                <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\"><br \/>\n                                                            <svg><use href=\"https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                                                                                                 This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/cancer-drug-pollution-is-a-growing-global-concern-225062\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/225062\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                Cancer drug pollution is a growing global concern (2024, May 18)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 18 May 2024<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2024-05-cancer-drug-pollution-global.html<\/p>\n<p>                                             This document is subject to copyright. 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Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/science\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2024-05-cancer-drug-pollution-global.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain As incidence of cancer increases globally, the use of cancer drugs is also growing at a rate of approximately 10 percent per year in developed countries. Pharmaceuticals significantly contribute to the improvement of human health; however, their environmental impacts have also become a major concern. Cancer drugs in our ecosystems Among&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":620986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2024\/fish.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-620985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}