Effects of environmentally-relevant antibiotic mixtures on marine microalgal growth.

As of 2008, approximately 48% of Americans use prescription drugs within any given 30-day period. Many pharmaceutical compounds are not fully metabolized by the human body, nor fully removed by wastewater treatment systems, before release into the environment. As a result, a vast array of pharmaceuticals has been detected in marine and freshwater organisms, sediments, and waters, with unintended effects on non-target organisms, and limited studies of environmental effects.