New study finds river wildlife contain cocaine, pharmaceuticals and pesticides
For the first time,
researchers at King’s, in collaboration with the University of Suffolk,
have found a diverse array of chemicals, including illicit drugs and pesticides in UK river wildlife.
Consumer products,
medicines
drugs
can end up in rivers after use and comprise thousands of different chemicals which have the potential to cause environmental harm.
The team
collected samples from five catchment areas, and 15 different sites across the county of Suffolk.
Surprisingly, cocaine was found in all samples tested, and other illicit drugs such as ketamine, pesticides and pharmaceuticals were also widespread in the shrimp that were collected.