Meth addiction in fish poses threat to ecosystem balance, study says
By Catherine Park
Researchers find high levels of PFAS chemicals in rainwater in parts of US
Researchers at the National Atmospheric Deposition Program, say they have have found high levels of toxic chemicals known as PFAS in rainwater, in some parts of the U.S.
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology on July 6 found that drugs such as methamphetamines that make their way into the world’s waterways through human waste can actually cause fish to become addicts, thereby impacting the natural balance of ecosystems.
According to authors of the study, fish have nervous systems similar to human beings and are able to develop drug addictions such as behavioral dependencies related to the dopamine reward pathway.
Fish are getting addicted to meth as illegal drugs pollute water bodies, study finds
msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
smithsonianmag.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smithsonianmag.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Trout can become ‘addicted’ to meth. Here s why that’s so scary.
Illegal drugs could be having a little-known and disastrous impact on freshwater wildlife, new laboratory experiments show.
ByCarrie Arnold
Email
Traces of methamphetamine and other illegal drugs that enter waterways could cause addiction in fish, a novel study finds.
Recent laboratory experiments found that brown trout, a common fish in Eastern European rivers, exposed to methamphetamine at concentrations like those seen just downstream of wastewater treatment plants showed signs of addiction such as being less active and withdrawal. In the wild, meth-addicted fish could have difficulties reproducing and finding food.