Murray State University
Do Fish from Streams in Western Kentucky Accumulate Illicit and Psychoactive Drugs?
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Chemistry
Minor
Economics
Institution 23-24
Murray State University
KY House District #
5
KY Senate District #
1
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Bikram Subedi, Ph.D; Timothy Spier, Ph.D
Department
Chemistry; Biology
Abstract
The misuse of drugs, including opioids and stimulants, is a national crisis and affecting public health, as well as the social and economic welfare of the U.S. Kentucky is currently ranked fourth among states for drug overdose deaths, which have increased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the efficient removal of regulatory nutrients by the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), existing treatment technologies barely remove these down-the-drain polar drugs. Consequently, these drugs are finally discharged into receiving water bodies. The continuous use and discharge of residual drugs and sewer overflow during storms make these drug residues pseudo-persistent in streams. The aim of this project is to determine several illicit and psychoactive drug residues in fish collected from the Clarks River (upstream and downstream of WWTP discharge), Bee Creek, and Mayfield Creek in Western Kentucky. Different species of fish were collected, frozen at -80°C, lyophilized, and extracted with an accelerated solvent extractor. The extracts are cleaned using a unique in-cell cleanup technique and gel permeation chromatography, and they are analyzed with a state-of-the-art ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometer (UPLC-MS/MS). Chronic exposure and the occurrence of drug residues in fish warrant further studies on the fate and toxicological impacts at different trophic levels of the aquatic food chain.
Do Fish from Streams in Western Kentucky Accumulate Illicit and Psychoactive Drugs?
The misuse of drugs, including opioids and stimulants, is a national crisis and affecting public health, as well as the social and economic welfare of the U.S. Kentucky is currently ranked fourth among states for drug overdose deaths, which have increased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the efficient removal of regulatory nutrients by the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), existing treatment technologies barely remove these down-the-drain polar drugs. Consequently, these drugs are finally discharged into receiving water bodies. The continuous use and discharge of residual drugs and sewer overflow during storms make these drug residues pseudo-persistent in streams. The aim of this project is to determine several illicit and psychoactive drug residues in fish collected from the Clarks River (upstream and downstream of WWTP discharge), Bee Creek, and Mayfield Creek in Western Kentucky. Different species of fish were collected, frozen at -80°C, lyophilized, and extracted with an accelerated solvent extractor. The extracts are cleaned using a unique in-cell cleanup technique and gel permeation chromatography, and they are analyzed with a state-of-the-art ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometer (UPLC-MS/MS). Chronic exposure and the occurrence of drug residues in fish warrant further studies on the fate and toxicological impacts at different trophic levels of the aquatic food chain.