ScholarWorks at University of Montana

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the Clark Fork River compared to national data

Pollution by pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) is an emerging concern because they are ubiquitous in freshwaters and may have adverse effects on ecosystem structure and function. Predicting PPCP abundance in freshwater systems is inhibited by the multiple controls on degradation and fate, as well as the unique characteristics of each individual compound. The Clark Fork River was one of 42 sites included in the RiverPACE project (Riverine Pharmaceutical Assessment, Collection, and Education Project), a collaborative effort to promote awareness of PPCPs in freshwater and develop a national database of PPCP concentrations in diverse river and stream ecosystems. Six different compounds were found at detectable levels in the waters of the Clark Fork River as it passes through Missoula. Those detected PPCPs were primarily associated with human antibiotics, antidepressants, and antihistamine medications, but sucralose (i.e., artificial sweetener) appeared at highest concentration. Compounds showing largest concentration ranges across the US, such as lincomycin (i.e., veterinary antibiotic) and triclosan (i.e., antiseptic present in toothpaste), were not detected in the Clark Fork River. Overall, concentrations of all compounds in the Clark Fork River were relatively low, especially when compared to nation- and world-wide concentrations of detectable PPCPs in water. Effects of PPCPs on humans through water consumption remain currently unknown, but the information derived from the RiverPACE project highlights the Clark Fork River as one of the ecosystems included in the national PPCPs database with a lowest risk for human health.