Fishers on the False Bay coastline.
A new study has found that False Bay's water is contaminated with a complex mix of pharmaceuticals, pesticides and heavy metals.
Researchers have linked the pollution to urban development, wastewater discharges and harbour activities.
The study, led by researchers from UCT and published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, investigated the presence and ecological effects of selected pharmaceutical compounds, herbicides and metals across 19 sampling stations in False Bay between April and June 2021.
Researchers detected pharmaceuticals such as acetaminophen, carbamazepine and diclofenac, along with the herbicides atrazine and metolachlor, in both seawater and marine sediments throughout the bay.
