These Crustaceans are on Drugs

A recent Norwegian study in the Arctic Circle has found an alarmingly high level of prescription drugs in the animals there. Specifically, the crustaceans at the base of the food web contained high levels of anti-depressants and ibuprofen.

These small crustaceans are called copepods, and they can be found in nearly every salt or freshwater environment. They act as food for all sorts of larger creatures, and sadly this means that the drugs in their systems are passed up the chain.

The compounds of these drugs last a long time, so it is not entirely surprising that they can be found in marine wildlife.

The high levels of prescription drugs in these animals was linked to poor sewage filtration near the test site. However there are only 30 permanent local residents of this remote area, with visiting summer populations of up to a mere 200.

Sadly it might be the case that these chemicals originated elsewhere - thankfully the research programme is ongoing.