Earlier work by a team of US and Canadian scientists had already shown that, in a small lake deliberately contaminated with estradiol, the population of fathead minnows declined sharply. "They attributed that to reproduction failure," he said. "My data suggest it could be, in addition, an impact on larval survival."
To find out more, Rearick compared gene expression in estradiol-exposed and unexposed fish. He found a significant increase in the expression of genes for the neurotransmitter dopamine in estradiol-exposed fish, suggesting that something might be occurring in their developing brains.
Klaper took a similar approach in her investigation of fluoxetine effects in fathead minnows, finding a cascade of gene-expression changes in the male minnows' brains as the dose increased. "I'm in the process now of trying to figure out the [physiological] pathways these might be involved in," she said.
This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on November 16, 2012.
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14 Comments
Add CommentTreatments plants near large cities usually have the means to oxidize these compounds but not the ones in rural areas where settling and aeration are about the only treatment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's not always correct, though. The community of Goleta, sandwiched between Santa Barbara and UCSB mostly, uses settling only on two-thirds of the sewage which is then flushed in the ocean where it normally gets carried by currents to the beaches near Santa Barbara.
Why is there one in every thread? Do you guys just hate science that much? You have no reason whatsoever to think that these people are anything but honest except your own bigotry.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIts an interesting question, what are the effects of pharmaceuticals on the environment. Would you rather we just assume arrogantly that "it sounds like a crock" and not even bother to ask the question? Would that be less inconvenient to you maybe? Got news for you, the world doesn't exist to just be what you think it is, and if nobody bothered to actually ask questions and seek answers we'd still be living in caves. Would you like that better?
What chemicals make fish Salmon?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this'When fluoxetine concentrations are increased yet again, fathead reproduction completely halts. "The males start killing the females," she said.'
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo Prozac is the Screwfly Solution for fathead minnows. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screwfly_Solution
The use of the bioassay in the second part, the bluegill, was an excellent idea and worthy of acclaim. I forgot to mention this in my first post, but reactionary elements reminded me that this approach is important since it verifies the conclusions of the first experiment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFathead minnows are the link between plankton and predators so if their population crashes then so will bass, bluegill, and pike. Oh, and crappie, I've always liked this particular fish.
Prozac does screw with one's reproductive ability. That's probably why my wife got a mor productive boyfriend while I became "extinct" to her. Ya, and if I was to take 10x the amount or even 2 or 3x it, I'd get manic and obsessive. My god, then they gave the fish even more still and the really flipped out and killed the poor females. I thought by taking "fish oil" supplaments, people become less depressed &/or hyperactive,ect. Maybe it's partly because they are already getting a little medicine along with omega-3's to facilitate your thinking. It may not be a fully natural solution to depression after all(mostly kidding now), just mostly.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLoaves and fishes. You "scientists" are agents of Sat*n. You destroy all His good works for your lies and wicked deceit.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI wonder if scientists have a few beers and then go to "spiritual" sites, then leave crank comments? There's one below that claims scientists are agents of Saturday afternoon, what have they got against Saturday afternoon?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLOL, I don't know Charles, most of human behavior is a mystery to me. I suspect the majority of these people cannot even explain what they were thinking about their own behavior when they did things...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMaybe we all just need to drink more water from Rome. I hear that has cannabinoids too, and surely some people need to mellow out! ;)
Ha, go figure! Anitdepressants make fish dull, and contraceptives do what they do in fish too!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWow, I'm still marvelling over it.
Since in more and more places recycled effluent is added to the domestic water supply, this is quite worrying for people as well. How pure can they make the recycled water?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat is not true, because endocrine disruptor (hormones, drugs, pharmaceuticals) cannot be degraded in conventional wastewater plants. However, advanced oxidation processes like Fenton, wet and oxidation, ozone, etc. are considered highly efficient do deal with disruptors
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAdvanced waste water treatment plants that produce drinkable water through reverse osmosis, UV lights and other methods produce water that is so pure it would kill you to drink it due to the ion imbalance it would cause and the osmosis gradient. The water is so pure and good at dissolving stuff that they need to harden it before they can even pipe it anywhere or else the pipes get worn out quickly. The regular waste water treatment plants give no where near this level of attention to the water and this is the water that is being released into dams and rivers and (hopefully) go no where near our drinking water. I hope this sheds some light on your concern.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSeriously though, the effects of estradiol are downplayed and barely mentioned in this article. Sci Am needs to do a round-up of these scary findings even if it might offend some people.
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