Presence of Emerging Contaminants in UK Honey─Human Pharmaceuticals a Concern for Honeybees?

Emerging contaminants can accumulate in water, soils, and crops; however, little is known about the potential exposure to honeybees. Using samples collected surrounding arable farming in Great Britain and nontarget techniques, we identified 119 suspect chemicals in hives. On average, each hive contained 6.8 (±3.01) active ingredients, these included human pharmaceuticals (64%), industrial chemicals (10%), surfactants (8%), and plasticizers (5%). Elevated concentrations of the anti-inflammatory flurandrenolide (582.3 ± 348.4 ng/g), the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug aspirin (358.2 ± 390.1 ng/g), the fungicide azoxystrobin (298.5 ± 159.9 ng/g), the antihypertensive methyldopa (123.4 ± 60 ng/g), and the anticonvulsant carbamazepine (79.97 ± 54.2 ng/g) were identified. Elevated concentrations of human-origin contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), and their increased frequency in arable areas, indicate that the reuse of contaminated fertilizers contributes to accumulation in hives across English landscapes. Critically, most of these contaminants lack toxicity data for honeybees, making it impossible to assess their acute or chronic risks.