Concerning levels of pharmaceuticals found in rivers in National Parks in Yorkshire

A study by the University of York and the Rivers Trust revealed widespread contamination of rivers in the parks, with antidepressants, anticonvulsants and diabetes treatments being detected.

It found active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in river water at 52 out of 54 locations monitored in England’s 10 National Parks.

The greatest number of APIs (29) were detected in the Peak District with the fewest APIs (seven) found in the Yorkshire Dales.

The antihistamines cetirizine and fexofenadine, and the type two diabetes treatment, metformin, were detected in all national parks.

While levels of pharmaceuticals were generally lower than in cities, there were alarming exceptions including in some rivers in the Peak District, where concentrations were higher than seen in major cities like London.

The study found that in the Peak District, Exmoor, Lake District, South Downs and the New Forest some pharmaceuticals were at levels that were “potentially harmful” to fish, invertebrates, and algae.

Concentrations of antibiotics at locations in the Peak District and on Exmoor were higher than levels thought to select for antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. It’s of concern for people swimming, canoeing and other water sports and could be a contributor to the global antimicrobial resistance crisis.

It is the latest research to overturn assumptions that national parks have low levels of pollution.

In June the first State of Yorkshire’s Nature report, by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, concluded that less than 20 per cent of Yorkshire’s protected sites and rivers are in a healthy state.

Professor Alistair Boxall, from the University of York’s Department of Environment and Geography, said reasons for higher than expected levels of pollution include lower connectivity to sewage treatment systems, older and less high tech treatment of sewage, and seasonal influxes of tourists putting a strain on wastewater systems.

National parks also often have “low flow” water bodies, meaning there is less water to dilute the pollutants entering waterways from treatment plants.

Prof Boxall said: “It is the fact that they come together in often remote and fragile places that make our national parks particularly vulnerable to this type of pollution.

"It is vital authorities come together to urgently tackle this issue.”

Pharmaceuticals most often end up in water through the urine of a person taking a medication, but it can be as a result of the improper disposal of unused medicines or the use of medicines in animals.

People can help by maintaining septic tanks and returning unused medicine to their pharmacy rather than flushing them down the toilet.

Dr Rose O’Neill, Chief Executive, Campaign for National Parks, said they should be “full of pristine waterways brimming with wildlife but the ugly truth is every single river and lake is polluted”.

Although National Parks were known as protected areas for nature, many sewage works inside their boundaries operate to much weaker standards than those in towns and cities, she added.