SELECT PHARMACEUTICAL ACCUMULATION IN FISH LIVER, BRAIN AND MUSCLE

Increasing evidence indicates widespread occurrence of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in municipal effluents and surface waters. Although studies that characterize fate and effects of PPCPs in aquatic systems are limited, data on pharmaceutical accumulation in fish tissues is not available because appropriate analytical methods have not been developed for aquatic organisms. Because municipal effluent dominated streams may represent worse case scenarios for studying PPCP fate and effects, we sampled fish populations in an effluent dominated stream in north Texas. Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) were sacrificed, liver, brain and lateral filet tissues dissected, and tissues stored at -80^oC until analysis. Fish tissues were extracted using SPE, and analyzed by GC/MS. Initial studies focused on determination of widely prescribed beta-adrenergic receptor blockers and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. We identified select SSRIs in all fish tissues examined. These data are among the first indications that bioaccumulation of select therapeutics may occur in fishes. Additionally, they provide a baseline for future studies of the relationship between critical body residues and fish behavior and life history responses to environmentally realistic exposure levels of pharmaceuticals.