Researchers from the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture at the University of São Paulo (CENA-USP) have identified multiple classes of antibiotics in the Piracicaba River, a major waterway in São Paulo state, Brazil. Their findings, published in Environmental Sciences Europe , show that these substances are not only present in the water but also accumulate in fish. The team also examined whether a common aquatic plant in the region, Salvinia auriculata , could help reduce this contamination.

The research was led by Patrícia Alexandre Evangelista with support from FAPESP. It combined several approaches, including environmental monitoring, studies of how pollutants build up in organisms, analyses of genetic damage in aquatic life, and experiments using plants to remove contaminants.…