Combinations of drugs that have been detected in trace amounts in waterways from Nevada to Switzerland could deform and kill native microscopic organisms, a new study finds.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2002/08/1535.jpg?resize=108%2C150&ssl=1)
Since the 1970s, scientists have discovered more and more rivers, lakes, and streams tainted with tiny amounts of common pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, antidepressants, hormones, chemotherapy drugs, cholesterol-lowering medications, and over-the-counter pain killers such as ibuprofen (SN: 3/21/98,