Scientists were left shocked when traces of illegal party drugs were found in freshwater shrimp swimming in Britain’s countryside rivers. Drugs such as cocaine and ketamine were discovered by a team investigating 15 sites at five rivers around Suffolk to see what chemicals were in the water. The authors said ‘surprisingly’ they found cocaine in every single sample - while the party drug ketamine and other pharmaceuticals were also found in the shrimp. Dr Leon Barron from King’s College London added: ‘Such regular occurrence of illicit drugs in wildlife was surprising. ‘Environmental health has attracted much attention from the public due to challenges associated with climate change and microplastic pollution.

Source: Daily Mail April 30, 2019 22:52 UTC