Antidepressants Found In Several Great Lakes Fish
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The rising usage rate of antidepressants is impacting fish in the Great Lakes.
The drugs are flowing through wastewater treatment plants, meaning that people are flushing their prescriptions.
Researchers from the University of Buffalo found antidepressants in 10 species of Great Lakes fish, including bass and walleye.
Scientists say they're worried the drugs will leave the fish so chilled out they won't be able to fight off predators.
In a 2013 study, researchers with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee found that antidepressants can cause fish to become anxious, antisocial and homicidal.
Females exposed to drugs produced fewer eggs. Meanwhile, the males became more aggressive, sometimes even killing the females.
