Jill's Pick from Around the World: Prozac Pollution Making Shrimp Reckless
The glass shrimp (file photo) may be one of many aquatic species harmed by antidepressants.
Photo credit: David Doubilet, National Geographic
Photo credit: David Doubilet, National Geographic
There's no happy ending for shrimp exposed to the mood-booster Prozac, according to a new study. Remnants of antidepressant drugs flushed into waterways worldwide are altering shrimp behavior and making them easier prey, experts say.
To mimic conditions in the wild, scientists exposed the estuary-dwelling shrimp Echinogammarus marinus to the antidepressant fluoxetine at levels detected in average sewage-treatment waste. Fluoxetine is the key ingredient in the drugs Prozac and Sarafem. Shrimp normally gravitate toward safe, dark corners. But when exposed to fluoxetine, the animals were five times more likely to swim toward a bright region of water, the team discovered.
To mimic conditions in the wild, scientists exposed the estuary-dwelling shrimp Echinogammarus marinus to the antidepressant fluoxetine at levels detected in average sewage-treatment waste. Fluoxetine is the key ingredient in the drugs Prozac and Sarafem. Shrimp normally gravitate toward safe, dark corners. But when exposed to fluoxetine, the animals were five times more likely to swim toward a bright region of water, the team discovered.
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Posted by WILDNEWJERSEY at 7/30/2010 10:00 AM 
Categories: Jill's Pick from Around the World
Tags: prozac pollution shrimp antidepressant drugs
Categories: Jill's Pick from Around the World
Tags: prozac pollution shrimp antidepressant drugs
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