Antidepressants found in Great Lakes fish

[WestMichRad]

... and could change the ecosystem

"A new study might depress anyone concerned with Great Lakes water quality.

Antidepressant drugs, making their way through an increasing number of people's bodies, getting excreted in small amounts into their toilets, and moving through the wastewater treatment process to lakes and rivers, are being found in multiple Great Lakes fish species' brains, new research by the University of Buffalo has found.

Researchers detected high concentrations of both the active ingredients and metabolites — byproducts of the parent drug — of popular antidepressant pharmaceuticals including Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa and Sarafem in the brains of fish caught in the Niagara River connecting Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

Affected species included smallmouth and largemouth bass, rudd, rock bass, white bass, white and yellow perch, walleye, bowfin and steelhead. While the concentrations aren't potentially harmful to humans eating the fish, they are problematic, said University at Buffalo chemistry professor Diana Aga, the lead author of the study published Aug. 16 in the journal Environmental Science and Technology."

more at this link: http://www.freep.com/story/news/2017/09/01/antidepressants-great-lakes-fish/621938001/

Scientists are concerned that antidepressants or their metabolites could affect the feeding behavior or survival instincts of fish.

[Phoenix61]

1. Why you shouldn't flush medication down the toilet

Not sure what we can do about the metabolites short of changing water treatment protocols. Very sad statement on how many people are on these meds. I know they can be very, very helpful. I just have a huge issue with GP's prescribing them long term based on a 10-15 minute exam.

[TeapotInATempest]

3. Agreed on all points.

[WestMichRad]

4. It's not only that (flushing)

I agree with that the practice of flushing meds is bad, but the stuff is getting into our waterways via excretion (pissing) of unmetabolized medications. Treatment plants are not designed to do anything to these substances, so they pass right along into the treated effluent which winds up in our waterways. When you have hundreds of thousands of consumers using these products, the amount that ends up in the Great Lakes is small... but can bioaccumulate and thus have an impact on organisms there (fish, in this instance).

[TeapotInATempest]

2. The Great Lakes are 21% of Earth's surface fresh water

This is cause for concern, for sure. As a Chicagoan, I rely on them for my drinking water (not to mention my enjoyment of my city's lovely lakefront), and so I donate to the Alliance for the Great Lakes which does great work protecting them through advocacy, research and education.

Just a reminder that 45's proposed budget this Spring completely eliminated funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. More short-sighted evil from this misadministration...

[littlemissmartypants]

5. Thanks for this, WestMichRad.

Kicking, very interesting article.

♡lmsp