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Pollution of rivers with sewage leads to the development of hermaphroditism in fish

 
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Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
 
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02 September 2011, 23:23

Due to emissions of sewage into rivers, most of the fish stock has both male and female sexual characteristics, according to Elen Duzi in an article published in the newspaper La Repubblica.

"Hormones, cocaine, antibiotics: after they are released from the human body and enter the river waters, they resume their action in fish organisms." For example, carp in the French section of the Dora-Riparia River, soaked with contraceptives, lost their sexual identity, "- writes the publication.

"In the valley of the village of Vertolee, in which the Sanofi enterprise is located, 60% of the herd of fish are hermaphrodites." As the French scientists established, only 5% of fish have both male and female sexual characteristics, "writes the author of the article .

"In the fish that is found in the Po River, cocaine catabolites are found that enter the river with wastewater.According to a study conducted in 2005, every day 4 kg of cocaine catabolites fall into Italy's largest river - in other words, molecules, only a little different from the real drug, undergone changes in the process of passage through the human body, "- the author writes.

"A similar study was conducted in the Potomac River at the direction of the Office of National Drug Control of the White House, while studies in the Po River were extended to assess the content of amphetamine, ecstasy, morphine, heroin and cannabis in the river. By far higher levels of narcotic substances have been found than predictions based on police data or evidence from people who use drugs, "says Douzie.

"And not even fish, accustomed to cocaine, pose a threat to man.In India, in the area of a pharmaceutical enterprise, a large number of bacteria have been found that are not susceptible to antibiotics.Microorganisms that do not perish under the influence of such drugs multiply and form colony-resistant colonies And they, sooner or later, find themselves in the human body, "the author writes.

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