Traces of the drug routinely make their way into Britain's waters after passing through users' bodies and could be altering the natural behaviour of some fish including whether they fight or take flight from danger.
Professor Alex Ford, working alongside Dr Tom Miller of Brunel University, has been investigating the impact of one huge sewage pipe in Hampshire's Langstone Harbour which carries the waste of some 400,000 Portsmouth residents.
He told The Independent: "I was shocked when I saw the readings to be honest. These are unpublished results but so far we have tested crabs, shrimp, oysters, limpets, worms and seaweed. We thought [cocaine] would make shrimp swim quicker but it's hard to compare to other creatures. We don't know the full effect of it entering the water cycle, unfortunately. Many of these organisms will be exposed to a wide spectrum of different prescribed and illegal drugs."
This story is from the March 28, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the March 28, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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