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Medications and cosmetics pose a new threat to the Mar Menor
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Scientists are examining the impact of new contaminants on the ecosystem of the Murcia lagoon
The cosmetic and medical industries continue to develop innovative products in response to consumer demand but the trouble is that these items inevitable make their way into already stressed marine ecosystems like the Mar Menor. New products are hitting the market at such a rate that their impact on the environment is still not entirely clear. They are known as emerging contaminants.
A study conducted by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) seeks to shed light on how these components affect marine life in the Murcia lagoon, because at the moment, there is little information about how much harm is caused by drugs, new pesticides that replace old or banned ones, and compounds that are present in personal hygiene products.
"We know that all this reaches the marine environment and that it can be harmful," one of the researchers said.
It’s important to point out that in Spain, most persistent pollutants are prohibited and new products are specifically designed to break down over time, but there is no doubt that some elements still end up accumulating in the tissues of marine organisms.
So far, the study has found traces of many common drugs like anti-inflammatories, antibiotics and antidepressants in the Mar Menor, as well as several veterinary medications.
It would seem that most of the compounds for human use enter the lagoon through wastewater treatment plants, while animal drugs tend to wash in from nearby farms.
However, the researchers have reassured that while bathers will certainly come into contact with these pollutants while swimming in the Mar Menor, human skin does not absorb the contaminants. It is plant and marine life that are at risk.
The work is still in its infancy, and it will be some time before we know the true impact of these products on the Mar Menor, but the Spanish government is already working to replace pollutants with more environmentally friendly alternatives. Last month, a ban was implemented on certain harmful plastics such as loose glitter and products that contain microbeads, a move that should prevent the release of almost half a million tonnes of microplastics into the environment.
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