The last great wilderness on earth now has traces of personal care products and steroid hormones.
New Zealand scientists say the waters around two Antarctic research stations have evidence of active ingredients found in soaps, fragrances, sunscreens and lotions, known as PPCPs.
Researchers from the University of Canterbury and Northcott Research Consultants Limited studied the levels of PPCPs around New Zealand's Scott Base and the United States' McMurdo Station.
They found the active ingredients were present up to 25km from where the sewage was discharged into the sea from treatment plants.
And they found traces of PPCPs in clams, fish and sea urchins collected from around the bases.
The study speculated that predatory species such as seals could be exposed to the micropollutants if they ate contaminated fish.
But the authors say more research is needed to understand the impact on marine life.
Waste from scientific research stations is released directly into the seawater, and some of it is not treated at all.
It's the first time the presence of PPCPs and hormones in Antarctica has been investigated.
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