http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/12/15/medication_fish/?refid=0
The issue of pharmaceuticals making their way into the water supply is
a growing concern.
Earlier this year, an Associated Press investigation found
prescription drugs in the drinking water of 41 million Americans.
Drugs get into the water when people's bodies can't absorb all of the
medication, and it ends up in the wastewater treatment system. While
the concentrations are below levels of medical prescriptions, the long-
term health effects are unknown.
But research at St. Cloud State University shows that anti-depressants
found in water do affect fish and other aquatic life.
St. Cloud, Minn. — Meghan McGee is reviewing videos of two baby
fathead minnows in her research lab. She explains how one fish behaves
when it senses a predator nearby.
"It turns its body into this C shape and then it rapidly swims away."
By bending its body into the shape of a letter C, the fish gives
itself extra propulsion to dart away from its predator. McGee's video
captures this rapid movement at 1000 frames per second. But the next
video shows a second fish behaving differently.
