Fish can become hooked on methamphetamine that reaches fresh water, to the point where they actively seek the stimulant substance. This is the conclusion reached by a new study by the University of Prague (Czechia).
After being used by humans, methamphetamine reaches waterways through sewage systems. Finally, it reaches the wastewater treatment plants.
“Where there are methamphetamine users, there is also freshwater contamination by methamphetamine,” says Pavel Horký, professor and behavioral ecologist at the University of Prague.
Contamination of the rivers
Methamphetamine pollutes rivers around the world. In fact, concentrations can range from a few nanograms to tens of micrograms per liter of water, as claimed by a study published in the journals Chemosphere and Water.
Therefore, due to the amount of methamphetamine in the waterways, the team of researchers wondered if the fish could become attached to the toxic substance.
Study results
The study (published in the Journal of Experimental Biology ) concluded that yes, fish can become addicted to this drug. In fact, a miniscule amount of methamphetamine is enough to cause addiction to freshwater fish.
However, although the fish (which were tested during the study) looked for water contaminated with methamphetamine, it may not be enough evidence to say that they are really addicted.
“I’m not sure that these fish can really be said to be addicted to methamphetamine, but they certainly show a preference for the compound,” explained Gabriel Bossé, a researcher at the University of Utah.
Doubts among the scientific community
In addition, as the researcher argues, the preference for methamphetamine in these fish disappears after a few days. Therefore, if the fish were really addicted, they would persist in that preference for a longer time.
“Whether you call it addiction or not, what is clear is that methamphetamine changed the way these animals behave,” and those effects could hinder their ability to find food, avoid other predatory animals or reproduce in the wild, he added. Bossé.
