Human factors negatively affect the environment globally, polluting watercourses, seas and oceans, air and soil. Researchers still find more and more unnatural substances in the nature. What discovery they made currently in the UK?
British scientists have found that all freshwater shrimp in England contain the popular drug – cocaine.
Researchers at King’s College in London, in collaboration with the University of Suffolk, have tested several selected watercourses and collected samples from several areas of England, specifically in 15 areas across Suffolk County, including 5 rivers. Samples were collected from Deben, Wavenay, Alde, Gipping and Box rivers.
Illegal Drugs
All tested shrimp contained certain quantity of cocaine, and a large part of them had other recreational drugs – namely MDMA or ketamine, which is commonly used as an anesthetic for horses, but has been gaining popularity among young people in recent years for its hallucinogenic effects.
The incidence of these banned drugs was expected to be significantly higher in urban areas than in rural areas. Therefore, the presence of cocaine in the waters of rural Suffolk was the biggest surprise for scientists.
Thus, a study published in the journal Environment International only demonstrates that the cocaine epidemic that has hit the British Isles in recent years is a truly ubiquitous problem.
Banned Pesticide
In addition to illegal drugs, there have been 55 traces of drugs (such as Lidocaine, Diazepam, and Tramadol) and 12 types of pesticides.
The researches were surprised by discovery of Fenuron, a pesticide that has been banned in the UK for a long time. Its source remains a mystery.
It is not yet possible to say whether this is just a local matter for the Suffolk region. It is therefore necessary to carry out tests throughout the UK and preferably abroad.
Scientists believe that the impact of these substances on shrimp will not be enormous. According to scientists, the levels of cocaine and other substances are too low to cause changes in the animal organism or in the behavior of animals.
Source: kcl.ac.uk/news/new-study-finds-river-wildlife-contain-cocaine-pharmaceuticals-and-pesticides, truththeory.com/2019/05/04/scientists-find-cocaine-and-ketamine-in-freshwater-shrimps/
Credit: commons.wikimedia.org
