Anti-depressant drugs being washed into rivers and seas are having a dramatic impact on aquatic wildlife according to a new study.
In research published in the journal Aquatic Toxicology, scientists found that fluoxetine anti-depressants, which includes brand names Prozac and Sarafem, can changes to both vertebrate and invertebrate organisms. These changes include causing crustaceans and molluscs to change colour, grow larger, and reproduce more.
Fluoxetine is being passed into the waterways from human urine and faeces via wastewater treatment plants, and once there even nanogramme per litre concentrations can have an effect on aquatic organisms.
