Jakarta Bay, already polluted by plastics, has high levels of paracetamol harmful to marine life
- Researchers are concerned about the impact on shellfish farms situated in the coastal waters off Indonesia’s capital
- Pollution of waterways is a major challenge for Indonesia, due to poor industrial, pharmaceutical, and hospital waste management systems
High concentrations of the drug paracetamol have been found in the waters off the northern part of Indonesia’s capital, according to a recent study, raising concerns about risks to the environment from improper waste management.
The study, which involved seawater samples taken from four different sites in the effluent-riddled Jakarta Bay as well as a site off the coast of Central Java, was published in the online journal Science Direct in August. It is the first to report the presence of paracetamol in Indonesia’s coastal waters.
“The [findings] raise concerns about the environmental risks associated with long-term exposure and, especially, the impact on nearby shellfish farms,” researchers from the University of Brighton and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences wrote.
“The study found that the quality of the water in Jakarta Bay did not meet the Indonesian Standard Quality of Seawater limits, and some metals were also present.”
Research on the effects of paracetamol on marine life has shown that the drug can cause oxidative stress in shellfish and affect feeding patterns, Wulan Koagouw, one of the study’s co-authors, said.