Cocaine flushed into rivers is making critically endangered
eels "hyperactive" and threatening their survival, new research suggests. Traces of the drug routinely make their way into
Britain's waters after passing through users' bodies, and could be causing serious health problems for some fish, according to the study.
In the new study, biologists at the University of
Naples Federico II put
European eels in water containing a small dose of cocaine - similar to the amount found in rivers - for 50 days. They found the fish "appeared hyperactive" compared to eels which had not been kept in waters containing cocaine. The drug accumulated on the brain, muscles, gills, skin and other tissues of the cocaine-exposed eels, researchers said.
