Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) may cause serious and significant environmental pollution. Environmental analyses have detected pharmaceuticals in addition to conventional chemical pollutants. In our study, the acute toxicity of ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, salicylic acid and substances that are mixtures themselves (INDS) on Aliivibrio fischeri bacterium were assessed with the use of ToxAlert ® . The selected materials are acidic in nature, highly polarized and widely sold over-the-counter analgesics. Doseresponse curves were drawn, and linear regression analyses and probit analyses determined their 50 %-effective concentrations (EC 50 ). The pharmaceuticals alone are unlikely to have acute impacts in aquatic environments. However, when evaluated in combination with A. fischeri bacterium, the acute toxicity of the INDS mixture was EC 50 7.09±5.1 mg/L and the acute toxicity of TUs was 14.10, which indicates their very toxic quality for organisms. Since the target components do not exist in isolation, we should primarily consider the toxicity of the mixture only at high concentrations.

Fast consumption, increasing energy needs, unplanned urbanization, and unconscious discharge of industrial wastes cause pollution of air, soil, food and water resources. Among these pollutants, heavy metals and metalloids are not biodegradable and accumulate in compartments such as water, soil and plants, threatening human and environmental health. Monitoring studies show that heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, zinc, copper, chromium and trace elements are in first place according to their availability in the environment. Preventive and remedial measures should be taken to reduce the effects of heavy metals. Legal regulations, monitoring studies, the use of soluble and non-toxic compounds in environmental compartments (air, water, soil and plants) in industrial processes, heavy metal-free pesticides, appropriate wastewater treatment plants and use of renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels are among the priority measures to reduce concentrations of heavy metals in the environment. As a bioremediation approach, removing toxic wastes from the environment by using bioaccumulatory organisms such as plants or mussels maintains its importance among studies aimed at recovery. Studies have shown that integrated methods - especially the combination of suitable plants and microorganisms - are very effective in mitigating the effect of heavy metals in the environment.

Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg, As (total), Cu, Pb, and Ni levels of the deepwater rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris, Lucas 1846), which were collected from the Tekirdağ coast of the Marmara Sea, were evaluated. The Marmara Sea is the recipient of discharges from both land-based sources and the Black Sea Bosphorus stream. There are large numbers of anthropogenic activities in the coastal region of the northern Marmara Sea that include urban effluent, discharges from touristic resorts, agricultural runoff, fishing, and transportation. Heavy metal contamination of water resources may cause critical health problems for the people living around these water bodies. In deepwater rose shrimp (P. longirostris), the highest concentration level detected for Zn was 22.4 ± 24.4 mg/kg in winter 2012, Cd 0.106 ± 0.01 mg/kg in summer 2012, Cr 0.77 ± 0.05 mg/kg in winter 2012, Hg 0.18 ± 0.04 mg/kg in summer 2011, As 9.93 ± 1.4 mg/kg in spring 2012, Cu 25.48 ± 0.3 mg/kg in winter 2012, Pb 2.12 ± 0.8 mg/kg in spring, and Ni 19.25 ± 7.1 mg/kg in spring. The values of heavy metal analysis were compared to both the Turkish Food Codex (TFC) limits and international standards for human consumption. The Pb, As, and Cu levels were found to be higher than the maximum allowable limits.

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