Flushing our prescription drugs into coastal Florida | Editorial

Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board, Tampa Bay Times
Updated ·2 min read
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Nothing like blackened redfish. But with a heavy opioid sauce?

That unappetizing entrée came to mind after a recent report by the Tampa Bay Times’ Max Chesnes on the wide-ranging contamination of redfish in estuaries across the state. Redfish throughout Florida have an average of two different drugs in their blood, according to a study published in partnership with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, a Miami-based conservation organization. In Tampa Bay, that number is three. And across the nine Florida estuaries the study examined, Tampa Bay and Apalachicola had the highest number of pharmaceutical detections.

“The medications that we take end up in our waters,” said Jennifer Rehage, a lead author on the study and a fish ecologist at Florida International University. “It’s another way of thinking about how connected we are to Tampa Bay.”

Over a four-day period last summer, fishing guide and captain Dustin Pack set out into Tampa Bay to hook redfish for the statewide study. With Pack’s help, a researcher caught 15 redfish; all 15 had the heart medicine Tambocor found in their system.

The statewide study, released last week, examined the blood of redfish for 94 commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals. Of the 113 redfish sampled throughout the estuaries, all but seven contained pharmaceuticals. Researchers detected 17 pharmaceuticals, with heart medicine, opioids and psychoactive drugs the most common. Nearly 90% of Tampa Bay redfish had Tramadol, a heavy-duty opioid pain reliever, and 2 out of every 5 redfish were also tainted with psychoactive drugs that treat depression and schizophrenia.

It’s no surprise that a metropolitan area like Tampa Bay had urban byproducts showing up in the local estuary. And experts noted the drug levels found in the fish were relatively small (you’d have to eat 48,000 fillets to reach a prescription dose). The findings also reflect how well technology can detect even trace levels of contaminants.

But this is what Floridians are flushing into their natural surroundings. It’s a reminder that communities need to invest in modern wastewater facilities and newer technologies that target these so-called contaminants of emerging concern. Doctors and patients need to be more aware of overprescribing. And residents need to dispose of surplus prescriptions more responsibly. Tossing them into the toilet may be convenient, but they end up somewhere.

This research follows a previous study where experts found pharmaceutical contaminants in 100% of bonefish sampled from Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys. As anyone could imagine, these contaminants pose an unknown human risk, a threat to Florida’s sea life and a danger to the state’s $14 billion recreational fishery, which supports tens of thousands of jobs. Cleaner water starts with greater awareness, and a fuller appreciation for living in Florida.

Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, Sherri Day, Sebastian Dortch, John Hill, Jim Verhulst and Chairman and CEO Conan Gallaty. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.