Drugs, pesticides and medicine found in south coast seawater
BBC 2023-06-09 05:00:52 • 2 mins
By Jonah Fisher & Jo Couzens
Environment correspondent & BBC News
Recreational drugs, pesticides and medicines have been found in seawater samples collected off the south coast of England.
Researchers from Brunel and Portsmouth universities analysed nearly 300 samples from Langstone and Chichester harbours, in Hampshire and West Sussex.
The samples were collected in 2022 by a group of concerned residents who raised the money for professional testing.
The researchers said they found more than 50 different chemical compounds.
They include commonly prescribed medicines to treat conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as nicotine and benzoylecgonine, which is produced by the liver after cocaine use.
