You have probably heard some terrifying true stories about teenagers and young people who use drugs, but you have definitely never heard stories about fish on drugs. But, it turns out that there are juvenile Chinook salmon fish that became addicts against their will.
A recently published research has revealed some shocking results. Young salmon caught in Puget Sound failed to pass drug tests. The tests were positive for more than 80 drugs like cocaine, antidepressants and many other drugs used by people.
When scientists made tests of the water close to the sewage treatment plants in Puget Sound close to Seattle, they found extremely high levels of drugs and care products. Compared to other places all over the USA, this concentration was the highest.
What is even worse is that the flesh of staghorn scuplin and Chinook salmon (a fish that migrates for miles) also had these substances and compounds. These drugs were found in fish that were caught miles away from the treatment plants in waters that were once considered clear and safe.
According to the Seattle Times, some other drugs found in fish in this area included Valium, Tylenol, Flonase, Zoloft, Aleve, Paxil, OxyContin, Tagamet and Darvon. In addition, there were significant traces of caffeine, nicotine, antiseptics, fungicides, anticoagulants and a myriad of antibiotics.
But, why these fish have such high concentration of drugs and other ingredients used by humans in them? Is it possible that people in Seattle area use more drugs and medications or the wastewater treatment plants are not very effective?
Wastewater Treatment Plants don’t Have the Capacity
The high levels of drugs found in water are definitely associated with the low capacity of these treatment plants. They simply cannot eliminate all these chemical agents from the water while the treatment process lasts. However, the presence of high amounts of fecal coliform in certain areas in Puget Sound indicate that damaged septic tanks can also be a factor in this issue.
Certain drugs identified in the water and the fish found in this area are very complex to eliminate if we rely only on standard wastewater treatment techniques. According to Betsy Cooper, administrator for permits for the Wastewater Treatment Division in this county, wastewater treatment plants located in King County are efficient in elimination of certain drugs found in wastewater. However, there are many drugs that can’t be processed and they remain there. For example, ibuprofen concentration is reduced significantly, but can’t be totally removed during this process and seizure drugs remain in high percentage in this water even after treatment.
Who is Responsible for This Situation?
Cooper says that we should not blame only the treatment plants and their efficiency. The treatment facilities are working fine and they do whatever they can to eliminate these drugs and potentially harmful materials in a biological and chemical way. However, in addition to the quality of treatment, we must mention that the amount of drugs that we use on a daily basis is very high.
In other words, people’s own dependence on medications and drugs is now harming animals and the environment too. It looks like we are not far from becoming specie that is not very different from zombies. However, our bad habits don’t mean that we should ruin the lives of other living beings on planet Earth.
This is the right time to admit that OCT remedies, prescription drugs and illegal drugs come with more negative than positive effects to both us and the environment.
Most people today believe that every health issue, be it mental or physical, can be solved only with the help of lab created medicines. This is something that we have accepted like the only truth and it was served to use by the Big Pharma. The truth is that these drugs are actually triggering many of these illnesses and ruin our health in the long run.
What Should We Do?
Even though modern pharmaceutical solutions have certain value, the fact is that every effect that these drugs provide can be achieved by utilizing natural methods which will never produce the side effects that we witness from pharmaceutical drugs.
The research that took place in Puget Sound says a lot about the consequences of making bad choices. We are part of the ecosystem and we affect other animals and nature in general. In the end, these negative effects return and affect our lives.
It is definitely the right time to start following some natural solutions.
Via Natural News
