A new University of York study has found that rivers in the UK are contaminated with a mixture of chemical pollutants and antibiotic resistance genes, which could be causing severe harm to people and aquatic species.
The study found sites popular with swimmers around the UK to be suffering from pollution with bacteria and chemicals alongside resistance genes that could limit the effectiveness of modern medicine.
A perfect storm of chemical cocktails
The University of York worked with Surfers Against Sewage, Watershed Investigations and a range of community groups across the UK to conduct the research. It found that designated inland bathing sites in the UK contain a cocktail of pollutants including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, personal care products, chemicals produced from fuel combustion, and antimicrobial resistance genes, creating a ‘perfect storm’ of combined pollutants.
Twenty-three river and lake bathing waters across England, Wales and Scotland were sampled twice a day for one week in the summer by community volunteers. Samples were then shipped to the laboratories in York where they were analysed for around 100 chemical pollutants, and to Helsinki for analysis for a range of antimicrobial resistance genes.
Chemical pollutants were detected at all the 23 bathing sites monitored. The highest numbers of chemicals (48 chemicals of the 100 monitored for) were seen in samples taken from the River Nidd at Knaresborough in Yorkshire, and the Sheep’s Green on the River Cam in Cambridge. Sheep’s Green was also the site with the highest level of chemical pollutants.
Professor Alistair Boxall, from the University of York’s department of environment and geography, explained:
“Most work on bathing water contamination in the UK has focused on bacterial pollution. This study is unique as it explores a much wider range of pollutant classes. Many of the chemical pollutants occur all the time in our rivers even when bacterial levels are low. The current monitoring by regulatory agencies in the UK won’t protect swimmers from the chemical exposure.
“We have shown yet again that our rivers are contaminated with a mixture of chemical pollutants some of which could be causing harm to aquatic species and to humans. We really should be doing better. It is a perfect storm. These sites are polluted with bacteria and chemicals that can make people sick as well as resistance genes that could limit the effectiveness of medical treatments.”
Dr John Wilkinson, who co-led the study, said: “These findings are not surprising. We know that UK rivers are polluted with a diverse range of chemicals used in the household, farming and even from our use of medicines.”
Pollution levels in Yorkshire rivers
The rivers Wharfe and Nidd in Yorkshire were two sites where ‘citizen scientists’ had been involved in the largest inland bathing water quality study ever conducted in the UK.
In Wetherby, 43 organic chemicals were detected in the Wharfe, while 30 were found as the Wharfe passes Ilkley. In Knaresborough, at the popular Lido swimming area of the River Nidd, 42 organic chemicals were detected in the water. Antibiotic resistance genes were also discovered at all three sites, with the Lido leading the way having 50 antibiotic resistance genes found. The River Wharfe at Ilkley had 39, and at Wetherby 23 were discovered.
Commenting on the results, Dr David Clayden, chair of Nidd Action Group, said:
“The Lido had the sixth-highest number and concentration of organics in this nationwide study. Of the more than 100 organic chemicals tested for, the Lido had 41, including 30 pharmaceuticals, three PFAS [‘forever chemicals’] and two pesticides. The top three pharmaceuticals found were a type 2 diabetes, an epilepsy and an antihistamine treatment. The sheer variety of organic chemicals presents us with an alphabet soup of shorthand names to negotiate. It is a complex, emerging science requiring expert interpretation.
“While the traces of these substances are small, together they form a complex mix of chemicals with unknown impacts on humans – which are currently not screened or monitored. We need to understand how they get into the river, their joint impact, and whether better monitoring and intervention is required. This may involve all stakeholders in our rivers, not just water companies.”
Utter failure of regulators to protect waterways
The study also revealed that the River Wharfe at Ilkley had among the highest levels of E. coli and organic chemicals in the study. Metformin (a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes), caffeine and nicotine were present at the highest concentrations of the chemicals tested.
Karen Shackleton, founder of the Ilkley Clean River Group, said: “It’s outrageous that concerned citizens are having to do thousands of hours of work to expose the sewage scandal and the resulting impact of the bacteria and chemicals entering our waters and causing untold damage to aquatic ecosystems. It highlights the utter failure of the regulators to protect our waterways and shows self-regulation by the water companies is not working.”
This was echoed by Di Lury from the Ilkley Clean River Group, who rightly drew attention to the potential impact on aquatic organisms:
“The testing here in Ilkley has once again shown the presence of exceptionally high concentrations of E. coli but also found the presence of a large number of chemical contaminants. Whilst the cocktail of chemicals discovered are at levels which are unlikely to pose an immediate risk to human health there is a very real risk of further development of antibiotic resistance which is known to be one of the biggest threats for our future.
“The chemicals found here can build up in the environment and enter the food chain causing untold damage to our ecosystems. There is also very little research into the potentially harmful effects on aquatic organisms and several of the chemicals found at Ilkley are known to be very toxic to aquatic organisms and build up in them.”
Radical reform needed to meet new threats
The intention of this citizen science study was to raise awareness about the quality of inland bathing waters and demand radical reform of current legislation to account for emerging pollutants that pose new threats to public health. The findings of the study are set to inform future water quality policies and shape the direction of environmental regulations in the UK, with a government consultation on bathing water regulation reform in England and Wales, welcoming responses until Monday 23 December.
Giles Bristow, chief executive of Surfers Against Sewage, said:
“The saturation of our waterways with sewage pollution is well known, but these findings demonstrate there’s a lot more than human waste lurking beneath the surface. With regulators and the government turning a blind eye, citizen scientists have acted to lift the lid on the toxic chemical cocktail that’s leaching into our rivers, lakes and seas.
“The true environmental and health impact of this slurry of pollutants, which include banned and carcinogenic forever chemicals, are still being revealed. Yet government is allowing them to swamp the wild waters where we surf and swim, and where fragile ecosystems are already on the brink of collapse. Bathing regulations urgently need wholesale reform and the government’s consultation, which is open right now, must deliver.
“These findings must be the catalyst that ends the era of inadequate water quality testing and kick-starts a future where the public are given a full picture of what’s coursing through the UK’s waters. We’ve lifted the lid, now it’s time to flush the pollutants out of our rivers, lakes and seas.”
