Massive dosing of anti-depressants to human patients may be having unexpected side-effects – placing marine life at risk, experts warn today.
The common drug Prozac, fluoxetine, makes shrimps change their normal habits of hiding in the dark – and head for the light, scientists have found.
According to marine scientist Dr Alex Ford, of Portsmouth University, UK, the finding is serious as growing quantities of common chemicals are finding their way into the water system.
Some 26 million prescriptions for anti-depressants were written in England and Wales in 2002.
Dr Ford said changing the behaviour of shrimps could upset the balance of nature in coastal waters.
By swimming towards the light, shrimps become much more vulnerable to being eaten by fish or birds.
His findings have been published in the journal Aquatic Toxicology.
He said: "Crustaceans are crucial to the food chain and if shrimps natural behaviour is being changed because of antidepressant levels in the sea this could seriously upset the natural balance of the ecosystem.
"Much of what humans consume you can detect in the water in some concentration. We’re a nation of coffee drinkers and there is a huge amount of caffeine found in waste water, for example. It’s no surprise that what we get from the pharmacy will also be contaminating the country’s waterways."
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