Study Finds Fish Are Tainted With Array of Drugs
A recent study funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found fish caught downstream of wastewater treatment plants in five US cities had detectable amounts of pharmaceutical drug residues in their bodies.
Fish caught downstream from wastewater treatment plans in Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Orlando were found to have residues from drugs designed to treat allergies, high blood pressure, bipolar disorder, and depression. The fish were compared to others caught in unpolluted waters in the Gila River Wilderness Area in New Mexico which were found to have no detectable amounts of the same pharmaceuticals.
Researchers conducting the study noted that it would take many thousands of meals of these tainted fish to actually equal a single recommended dose of any of the drugs, but when combined with mounting concern about traces of pharmaceuticals in drinking water, it raises the question of the amount of medications Americans are unknowingly ingesting through contaminated food and drink. This may not affect you unless you regularly eat fish caught from major rivers and streams, but remember that any fish you eat has the potential to be contaminated with pharmaceuticals, mercury, lead, or other chemicals.
