Overview
- The peer-reviewed CIM–UNLP/CONICET study, published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, sampled rural-to-urban reaches across seven Buenos Aires–area streams.
- Researchers detected residues of 16 target medicines—led by carbamazepine, paracetamol, ibuprofen and atenolol—with rural sites showing two to three drugs versus nearly all 16 in urban stretches.
- Sites receiving wastewater-treatment discharges showed the highest contamination, while elevated levels without sewers point to clandestine releases, septic pits and possibly leaking landfills.
- Paracetamol stood out for concentrations described as far above international benchmarks, indicating markedly higher local consumption.
- Seasonal signals emerged, with sildenafil peaking in summer and salbutamol rising in winter, as authors warned of ecological risks but not immediate human-health danger at detected levels.