Posted on 05/25/2018 1:04:24 PM PDT by Red Badger
Scientists at the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife have found that mussels in Seattle's waters are testing positive for opioids.
The finding suggests "a lot of people" are taking oxycodone in the Puget Sound, researchers say.
Scientists used mussels as a way to test pollution in Seattle's waters and discovered high enough oxycodone levels for the shellfish to test positive.
Mussels do not metabolise opioids, but some fish can become addicted.
Mussels are filter-feeders, which means they filter water for nutrients to nourish themselves. In the process, they end up storing pollutants in their tissues, which makes them a prime indicator species.
State researchers distributed clean mussels around the Puget Sound and extracted them months later to test the waters.
Of the 18 locations scientists used, three showed traces of oxycodone. The drug traces were not enough to get any humans high from consumption, but enough to indicate a problem, officials said.
"What we eat and what we excrete goes into the Puget Sound," Jennifer Lanksbury, a biologist at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, told CBS News affiliate KIRO.
"It's telling me there's a lot of people taking oxycodone in the Puget Sound area."
Washington's King County, home to Seattle and the Puget Sound, saw a record number of drug deaths in 2016, with 332 opioid-related overdoses, according to a University of Washington study.
Also in 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated that nearly 300lbs (136kg) of pharmaceuticals, personal care products and industrial compounds ended up in the Puget Sound each day, some at high enough concentrations to negatively impact fish.
Kings County Wastewater Management told local media their system can filter many contaminants, but not specifically drugs.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Many will try. How many would it take? One dozen or 50? Just watch the price of Seattle seafood go up when this gets around.
“Mussels test positive for opioids in Seattle’s Puget Sound”
A. I wonder how many you’d have to eat to get high?
B. Their dealers need to be tracked down and thrown in jail.
C. Effective treatment programs need to be implemented at once.
Mussels in Black Bean Garlic Sauce? YUM!
Oh really? I thought all sewer systems go through a water purification process that ultimately ends up as your drinking water?
Actually Seattle (unless there have been major changes) discharges water into Puget Sound that is filled with particulate matter having under gone only cursory tertiary treatment; Vancouver BC, Canada, on the other hand, does not treat sewage but discharges it raw directly into the Strait of Juan de Fuca - some of that water winds up in the Sound and in Hood Canal.
Waste water is not treated and stored, but dumped into the Sound. Seattle’s drinking water comes from Cascade mountains snow pack run off and some over-pumped wells. Seattle does not recycle its water.
Ah, see! Haters! Those leftists are abusing Gaia’s critters. They hate them since when different currents come through, they will have to deal with withdrawal.
Scientists used mussels as a way to test pollution in Seattle's waters and discovered high enough oxycodone levels for the shellfish to test positive.
You know what would help? A huge increase to the local minimum wage -- the bonus to that is, it raises income tax receipts in the cuckoo liberal fantasyland where a mandatory increase in the minimum wage has no impact on employment. Thanks Red Badger.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.