White-rot fungi show promise for reducing pharmaceutical residues in biosolids

Antidepressants and other psychoactive drugs are designed to affect the human brain. But after they enter the water system in excrement or unused drugs flushed down the drain, traces of these compounds can enter the environment in biosolids—the nutrient-rich material left over after wastewater treatment that is used as fertilizer. New research suggests an unexpected mitigation strategy: using wood-rotting fungi that can break down these chemicals before they reach soil, crops, and people.