Genotoxic effects in fish induced by pharmacological agents present in the sewage of some Italian water-treatment plants.

The presence of pharmaceutical substances in the municipal effluents is currently considered the principal source of bio-active molecule emissions into aquatic environments. This study analyzes the genotoxic damage caused by gemfibrozil and atorvastatin, two regulators of the hematic level of lipids, and sildenafil citrate, a vasodilator, on the teleost Danio rerio. The genotoxicity of these three compounds was evaluated using the comet assay, diffusion assay, and RAPD-PCR.