專家：全球水河流已被處方藥和非處方藥污染

The world's rivers and fresh water systems are full of pollution from prescription and over-the-counter drugs and it is taking a toll on the environment and wildlife, experts say.

Scientists meeting Tuesday in Vienna say if no action is taken, the problem will increase by 65% by 2050.

The drugs include painkillers, hormones, anti-depressants and antihistamines.

Much of it ends up in the waters through human and animal waste because only small amounts are filtered out in treatment plants or absorbed into the ecosystem.

The drugs have caused sex charges in fish and amphibians and one type of anti-inflammatory drug has driven vultures in India close to extinction.

UN experts have also said medicines in the environment are helping create drug-resistant bacteria.一些專家說，全世界河流和淡水系統受到處方藥和非處方藥的嚴重污染，影響到環境和野生動物。

星期二在維也納開會的科學家們說，如果聽之任之，這個問題的嚴重性到2050年將增長65%。

這些藥物包括止痛藥、激素、抗抑鬱藥和抗組胺藥。

這些藥物只有很少一部分在水處理過程中濾除或由生態系統吸收，大部分隨人畜的排泄物進入水系統。

藥物導致魚和兩棲動物的性別發生變化，有一種消炎藥導致印度的一種禿鷲幾乎滅絕。

聯合國專家說，環境中的各種藥物還導致抗藥細菌的生成。