The Briefing Room
State Chapters => Florida => Topic started by: Elderberry on June 03, 2022, 12:25:27 pm
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By Melissa Koenig For Dailymail.Com 5/30/2022
Fish off the coast of Florida are testing positive for ANTIDEPRESSANTS, prostate medications, antibiotics and pain relievers as human wastewater makes its way out to sea
• Researchers at Florida International University and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust found that each of 93 fish had an average of seven drugs in its system
• They tested positive for antidepressants, blood pressure medications, prostate treatment medications, antibiotics and pain relievers
• The drugs can be passed through to the fish through human wastewater
• They can affect every aspect of fish life, including their feeding habits, sociability and migratory behavior
• Nearly 5 million prescriptions are filed in the United States each year
Fish off the coast of Florida are testing positive for a slew of pharmaceuticals as human wastewater makes its way out into the sea.
Researchers at Florida International University and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust - a nonprofit based in Miami and focused on bonefish and tarpon conservation - studied the two types of fish found in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys since 2018.
They collected blood and tissue samples from 93 bonefish and tarpon in the area, and found that each one had an average of seven drugs in its system - including antidepressants, blood pressure medications, prostate treatment medications, antibiotics and pain relievers.
One fish even had a total of 17 different drugs in its tissues, the study found, and the researchers found pharmaceuticals in the bonefish prey - including crabs and shrimp.
More: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10869287/Fish-testing-positive-ANTIDEPRESSANTS-prostate-medications-antibiotics-pain-relievers.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10869287/Fish-testing-positive-ANTIDEPRESSANTS-prostate-medications-antibiotics-pain-relievers.html)
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But, were they happy fish?
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Good information. I'm thankful I haven't eaten fish in a long time . So much for the health aspect of eating fish.
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Did they attempt to correlate fish drug loads with sources of sewage? It would be interesting to see if the effects were localized around sewage/wastewater disposal outlets, or if it's become more or less uniform across the entire coastline.
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Did they attempt to correlate fish drug loads with sources of sewage? It would be interesting to see if the effects were localized around sewage/wastewater disposal outlets, or if it's become more or less uniform across the entire coastline.
Florida International University February 2, 2022
https://news.fiu.edu/2022/pharmaceutical-contaminants-discovered-in-south-florida-bonefish (https://news.fiu.edu/2022/pharmaceutical-contaminants-discovered-in-south-florida-bonefish)
Pharmaceutical contaminants discovered in South Florida bonefish
A three-year study by FIU and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) has discovered pharmaceutical contaminants in the blood and other tissues of bonefish in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys.
“Coastal fisheries face increasing threats associated with human-based contaminants,” said Jim McDuffie, BTT President and CEO. “Pharmaceuticals are an often overlooked dimension of water quality and their presence in South Florida bonefish is cause for concern. These contaminants pose a significant threat to the flats fishery, an important part of Florida’s recreational saltwater fishery, which has an annual economic impact of $9.2 billion and directly support over 88,500 jobs.”
Since the study began in 2018, FIU scientists and BTT research associates, in partnership with Sweden’s Umeå Unversity and the University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), have sampled 93 fish in South Florida, finding an average of seven pharmaceuticals per bonefish, and a whopping 17 pharmaceuticals in a single fish. The list includes blood pressure medications, antidepressants, prostate treatment medications, antibiotics, and pain relievers. Researchers also found pharmaceuticals in bonefish prey — crabs, shrimp and fish — suggesting that many of Florida’s valuable fisheries are exposed, and not only the bonefish fishery.