Flush a leftover pill down the toilet? Congratulations, you’ve just donated antidepressants to a local creek. Pharmaceuticals like birth control, painkillers, and even cocaine have been detected in rivers worldwide. Male fish in some UK rivers have developed female characteristics due to estrogen from birth control—a phenomenon scientists call “a reproductive identity crisis.”
And yes, cocaine has been found in Italian and Swiss waterways. So not only are the eels possibly addicted to disco music, but the water itself might be ready to dance on tables. (Please don’t test this theory, I promise it won’t end well.)
Even antidepressants are in the mix. Studies show they make fish less anxious and more willing to swim near predators. In other words, the fish are happier, but also stupider—a trade-off that sounds like my friend Steve after three margaritas.
