A new study from Tel Aviv University and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History detected traces of 10 common medications in coral samples collected from both shallow and deep sites in the Gulf of Eilat. Sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic used for respiratory and urinary tract infections, was found in as many as 93% of the sampled corals.

The alarming study was led by Prof. Noa Shenkar of TAU's School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, and her Ph.D. student Gal Navon, in collaboration with the Hydrochemistry laboratory led by Prof. Dror Avisar at TAU's Porter School of Environment and Earth Sciences. The results were published in the journal Environmental Pollution.

"In this first-of-its-kind study, we conducted a large-scale investigation for detection of pharmaceuticals in corals," says Prof. Shenkar. "We sampled 96 reef-building stony corals representing two types, Acropora sp. and Favites sp., in shallow sites (5–12 meters) as well as deeper sites beyond the limits of recreational diving (30–40 meters). We were surprised to find an extensive presence of medications even in the deep-water corals—which usually escape contaminations affecting corals in shallower areas."

The researchers obtained a list of the most commonly used pharmaceuticals in Israel from Clalit Health Services. Testing for 18 of these compounds, they detected 10 of them in the coral samples. Not even a single sample, retrieved from either shallow or deep water, was found to be drug-free. The 10 pharmaceuticals found in the corals belonged to different categories: antibiotics, blood pressure medications, antiplatelet agents, calcium channel blockers, laxatives, proton pump inhibitors, statins, and antidepressants.

Studied coral genera Acropora sp. growing on artificial substrates in the Underground Restaurant study site. Credit: Noa Shenkar

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