Prozac in Waterways Is Changing How Fish Behave
August 27th, 2024After reading this article about Prozac pollution and fish, you can probably guess my next search:
“prozac in drinking water”
From 2004, Prozac’s in the Water:
Britain’s Drinking Water Inspectorate noted that the drug “was likely to be found in a considerably watered down form that is unlikely to pose any health risk.” Nevertheless, environmentalists are calling on the government to order an urgent investigation and labeling the slow buildup of the excreted antidepressant into the water a “hidden mass medication.”
An environmental spokesperson for the Liberal Democrat political party in Britain, Norman Baker, told the Observer, “these revelations expose a failing by the government on an important public health issue. It is alarming that there is no monitoring of levels of Prozac and other pharmacy residues in our drinking water.”
Anyway, back to the fish…
Via: Guardian:
Contamination of waterways with the antidepressant Prozac is disrupting fish bodies and behaviours in ways that could threaten their long-term survival, new research has found.
As global consumption of pharmaceuticals has increased, residues have entered rivers and streams via wastewater raising concerns about the effects on ecosystems and wildlife.
Research published in the journal of Animal Ecology found low concentrations of fluoxetine – an antidepressant commonly known as Prozac – reduced the body condition and sperm vitality of male guppies over multiple generations.
Related:
Prozac and Methamphetamine Likely Responsible for Toxins in Tap Water
