'Mussels on drugs' found near Victoria sewage outfalls
Study finds concentrations of pharmaceuticals and
personal care products in
molluscs exposed to wastewater
(CBC News Feb. 15, 2018)
"Drug tests on sea life near the sewage outflow pipes around Victoria (British Columbia's capital) are giving new meaning to the old expression "happy as a clam"!
"Monitoring by the Capital Regional District has found high concentrations of antidepressants, as well as other pharmaceuticals and personal care products in shellfish near the sewage outfalls around Victoria.
"Chris Lowe, who supervises environmental monitoring programs for the CRD has, said the region has been collecting wastewater samples since 2003 to monitor pharmaceuticals. Testing expanded to sediment and mussel tissue samples as the ability to detect and analyze those compounds improved in recent years."
Victoria, British, Columbia. Too pretty for a raw sewage problem, but it's there. |
"Everything from antimicrobials, pain medication, synthetic birth control, antidepressants... pretty much any pharmaceuticals that humans take" will be seen in sewage unless it's a very short-lived compound.
"Lowe said completion of the region's wastewater treatment facility, expected near the end of 2020, will keep most drugs and other harmful compounds out of the ocean. "It will substantially reduce the compounds and some may be gone completely.
"The treatment process will also remove compounds of concern for ocean life such as orcas, which are higher up the food chain."
 |
| Orca (aka "killer whale") leaping. Orcas use breaching (jumping) to communicate when the noise of the ocean would mask acoustic signals. Orcas are very family-oriented and travel in groups known as "pods." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale |
Orcas, it says...orcas! Higher up the food chain than clams?
Well, I must agree with Mr. Lowe on that! BC's beautiful Killer Whales (aka orcas) are certainly than more evolved than clams, and likely to be more intelligent.
When I grow up, I want to be a sewage biologist—I'm likely more intelligent than clams, too.
Okay, this is the 21st Century, sewage-folk. Why didn't you know all these facts before? Why wait until shellfish are full of poison? Must it take such a long time to fix the problem?
I despair for my country, perhaps especially for British Columbia, the province of my birth. Someone, somewhere in BC's capital city, must have known that Victoria's raw sewage has been going into the Pacific Ocean since 1843, and realized before the 21st century that it was probably a bad idea.
Why, then, is it going to take 17 years, from the year 2003 until the predicted year 2020 to fix the sewage problem? Surely there are sewer workers willing to work a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift as I did?
I used to work for a company employing so many people in one department that 24 hours were divided into three shifts, with production around the clock.
No, I've never built a sewage system for a major city, but I whitewashed an outhouse once, and I do have an opinion on the subject of waste. My solution is: "Move faster, folks, get a move on, before the Pacific Ocean dies and takes Victoria with it!"
As readers of my blog have already been informed, I want to express my opinion on all of my pet peeves before I kick the proverbial bucket. I'm getting oldish, am in mediocre health, and could get hit by a bus tomorrow. Why, I've already waited for Spring, so I'm doing it now.
Posting for Fiona's memorable meme
Our World Tuesday
25 comments:
Hari Om
It has long been known that shellfish and crustaceans are the filters of the seas... As you say; where's the thinking??! Am sure it is not just your beloved country, Kay. This is a global problem. YAM xx
Love the colors in your first photo and love the whale shot!
Happy Week to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Sobering information about a shellfish I like to eat. Maybe if I eat a few more I would be influenced by the antidepressants to not give a darn about how the ocean is perceived by many as a sewer with infinite capacity for all kinds of garbage. Thanks for visiting my post and sorry I a so slow to thank you for your kind comments!
You go, girl, I think your concerns are more than pet peeves. I've heard that about pharmaceuticals in the ocean and think at very least an easier way to dispose of pills would be helpful. I've had trouble disposing meds but have never flushed them down the toilet but my dad's hospice worker said that's what they're instructed to do.
What a mess it is.
(ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!
Agreed - we all need to move faster to leave the world a better place for future generations!
terrible. when people think of water pollution, plastic is first thing to come to mind. but this is as scarry. I like your post.
This is an all-round wonderful post, Kay! Thank you for it.
Hi Kay, I commend you for writing about your concerns re the environment. In recent years I’ve visited Victoria and can confirm that it is too beautiful to have a sewage problem! If I know Canadians they will get this fixed hopefully before 2020. John
...we all have a spot on the food chain, don't we!
Indeed it is an ancient problem (think Venice) and worldwide. We do a marvelous job of mucking up the oceans.
Hello Kay. I find that deeply disturbing but at the same time unsurprising. As you say, it is hardly rocket science to think and to then explore whether this might happen. Of course this is happening all over the world and one of the reasons I will not eat any sort of shellfish, animals that filter water of any sort to extract their food. Sue has gotten really ill after making the mistake of trying even the smallest amount of shellfish and now won't go near it.
But we do both like prawns and lobster which I think and hope have a slightly different way of eating?
I'm glad that you have taken up the challenge of publicising all that is nasty about the World. There's lots of it.
Take care.
Gosh. Nothing is up to snuff once we really look into things it seems, including the sewer systems. But unused/outdated pharmaceuticals should never be poured down the drain. We all know they should be returned to the pharmacies. I presume they dispose of them safely and not in some mysterious sewer system of their own.
It is a very sad state of affairs. The pharmaceutical companies should be held accountable.
Everyone's on too many drugs! I do love me some friend clams by the sea.
We are getting a new waste water treatment plant. It is still in the planning stage and going into grant competitions. Our current plant is just below our condo in Powell River. It works, but doesn't meet current sewerage laws. Of course, no one wants it near their homes, but we've never noticed any odours or problems with it so close to us. - Margy
Having a safe and effective waste water system in place is a no-brainer to me. I suppose too many in power have brains, hence the problem. Or maybe it's kickbacks. I live in the U.S. Same issues here, too. Heaven help if govt. officials practice preventative measures rather than Oh, my, gosh, the dam has broke.
The View from the Top of the Ladder
I am saddened to hear of this pharmaceutical contamination of shellfish. I am a seafood lover and I neve thought about that danger! We save all our unused medications to give to the police on "drug disposal day" that occurs twice a year. Supposedly they are discarded without contaminating water of landfills. I hope more awareness of the ocean dumping problem will become universal!
The photo of the Victoria Harbor is so beautiful and well symbolizes what’s happening. This post reminded me of “Our Stolen Future” which was so alarming but almost unheard recently. Hope what Lowe said about the completion of the wastewater treatment facility come true sooner. Before that, however, other things must be done like pharmaceutical companies’ giving guideline how to deal with the leftover to the people.
Yoko
it makes me soooo tired :( Nice post though!
Its sad but waste treatment even in very modern cities across america is lacking. I've seen many facilities that when overwhelmed simply dump raw sewage into the ocean or rivers.
Sorry to hear about the contamination of crustaceans! Unfortunately, this is a problem all over the world!
Happy May !
Agree totally Kay...and it just keeps getting worse and worse. . on this side of the border, we have the head of what used to be known as the Environmental *Protection*Agency basically claiming that the Bible tells us that man is here to use up and destroy the earths resources. I despair.
Wonderful photos, love the sky!
Greetings, Marie
Whoa! That's a lot of drugs!
Post a Comment