New mode of action found for Pharmaceuticals in the environment

摘要

In recent years, concern has been growing over the potential effects that pharmaceutical residues can have when they leak into the environment. A number of studies have reported concentrations of antibiotics in surface waters that could impact aquatic ecosystems. In a new study in Environmental Science & Technology (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009, DO1 10.1021/ es902665n), researchers report on a new pathway by which Ciprof-loxacin, or Cipro, a synthetic antibiotic that is widely prescribed in human medicine, can interfere with photosynthesis and inhibit the growth of spinach plants in laboratory studies.