Fentanyl found in Gulf of Mexico dolphins

[RJ2019]

The sea life is testing positive for fentanyl, among other drugs now. This could certainly be a cause of some of the disturbances we have been seeing in sea life over the last couple decades. I've only read the abstract of the study mentioned in the article so far, but I'm hoping to have time to read the rest later.
https://www.kcra.com/article/fentanyl-dolphins-texas-am-study-gulf/63119472

https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(24)02734-2

 

[Patchouli]

That’s awful. With everything else they can do why haven’t they come up with ways to remove drugs from our drinking water supply? We’re all on drugs! Except for Mountain trapper of course and a few others who live so far out they’re drinking dinosaur pee mingled in their well water.

 

[Mountain trapper]

That’s awful. With everything else they can do why haven’t they come up with ways to remove drugs from our drinking water supply? We’re all on drugs! Except for Mountain trapper of course and a few others who live so far out they’re drinking dinosaur pee mingled in their well water.

I belive that our well water is absolutely pure. There's no industrial or agricultural areas any where near us, never has been. However, just out of curiosity I do plan to have our well water tested. It would be nice to see just what percentage of our water is dinosaur pee.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

This is probably from smugglers dropping some packages during off loading onto smaller boats.
Or getting scared by LEO and dumping the whole load.

East coast Florida routinely has bales of marijuana wash up on the beaches.

 

[SLADE]

Druggies suck.

 

[RJ2019]

This is probably from smugglers dropping some packages during off loading onto smaller boats.
Or getting scared by LEO and dumping the whole load.

East coast Florida routinely has bales of marijuana wash up on the beaches.

I've heard this too.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

Druggies suck.

Never had a loved one who abused drugs or alcohol, eh?

 

[SLADE]

Never had a loved one who abused drugs or alcohol, eh?

Yes. I do and have and they still suck.

 

[d_marsh]

That explains when I got high from that "tuna" sandwich the other day!

 

[Caribou]

I remember working at a clinic and dumping drugs down the drain. Multiply all the clinics, hospitals, and police departments that destroy drugs. Add to that all the druggies that pee their drugs out, along with those on prescription.

 

[RJ2019]

I remember working at a clinic and dumping drugs down the drain. Multiply all the clinics, hospitals, and police departments that destroy drugs. Add to that all the druggies that pee their drugs out, along with those on prescription.

True, disposal methods are sketchy at best. But I mean, HOW MUCH DRUGS does it take to pollute dolphins? Is the entire ocean contaminated?

 

[Caribou]

True, disposal methods are sketchy at best. But I mean, HOW MUCH DRUGS does it take to pollute dolphins? Is the entire ocean contaminated?

Coastal areas are going to have stronger concentrations. I would expect it to be much like mercury. The plankton absorb the mercury. Small fish eat the plankton. Bigger fish eat the small fish. The bigger and older the fish the larger the concentration of mercury. Dolphins, salmon, tuna, swordfish, and others are wide ranging species. They will collect chemicals from around the world.

 

[RJ2019]

Coastal areas are going to have stronger concentrations. I would expect it to be much like mercury. The plankton absorb the mercury. Small fish eat the plankton. Bigger fish eat the small fish. The bigger and older the fish the larger the concentration of mercury. Dolphins, salmon, tuna, swordfish, and others are wide ranging species. They will collect chemicals from around the world.

Yes, I understand bioaccumulation. But I would imagine these drugs would have a half-life or break down over time. And shouldn't the dolphins' systems clear the drugs over time? This leads me to think there must be a lot of fentanyl in the ocean.

 

[Neb]

Yes, I understand bioaccumulation. But I would imagine these drugs would have a half-life or break down over time. And shouldn't the dolphins' systems clear the drugs over time? This leads me to think there must be a lot of fentanyl in the ocean.

Yes unless...

The dolphins are seeking it out.

Ben

 

[RJ2019]

Yes unless...

The dolphins are seeking it out.

Ben

Now THAT one I hadn't thought about! They're highly intelligent creatures, that actually makes a lot of sense.

 

[Hardcalibres]

Yes unless...

The dolphins are seeking it out.

Ben

Of all the sea mammals, the dolphins are known to party the hardest.

That is why the TV show Flipper was cancelled.

Fame went to the star's head and he went off the rails.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

What you flush down the toilet is not piped into the ocean anymore.
Hasn’t been for decades.

 

[Pearl]

What you flush down the toilet is not piped into the ocean anymore.
Hasn’t been for decades.

If you live in town it goes to the water processing plant and back to your house to start the journey all over again!!

 

[Caribou]

What you flush down the toilet is not piped into the ocean anymore.
Hasn’t been for decades.

It really depends where you live. It goes into a sewage processing plant. From there it is discharged into a river, where it makes its way to the ocean, or directly into the ocean, or into the ground water. My home goes into our sewage treatment system and then into the ocean. Most prescription drugs are not affected by treatment plants. For example, birth control pills have had a significant effect on frogs and fish around some large communities.

 

[RJ2019]

It really depends where you live. It goes into a sewage processing plant. From there it is discharged into a river, where it makes its way to the ocean, or directly into the ocean, or into the ground water. My home goes into our sewage treatment system and then into the ocean. Most prescription drugs are not affected by treatment plants. For example, birth control pills have had a significant effect on frogs and fish around some large communities.

This is true. There are a lot of things that treatment plants can't clean out of the water supply.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

It really depends where you live. It goes into a sewage processing plant. From there it is discharged into a river, where it makes its way to the ocean, or directly into the ocean, or into the ground water. My home goes into our sewage treatment system and then into the ocean. Most prescription drugs are not affected by treatment plants. For example, birth control pills have had a significant effect on frogs and fish around some large communities.

50-60 years ago there were "outflow" pipes that would discharge raw sewage from West Palm Beach right into the Atlantic Ocean off Palm Beach.
And, I'm assuming other cities up and down the Florida coast.

 

[Mountain trapper]

What you flush down the toilet is not piped into the ocean anymore.
Hasn’t been for decades.

It is in Mexico.

 

[SLADE]

Seeing all the needles in the streets it would seem storm drain runoff would be enough.

 

[AMC]

East coast Florida routinely has bales of marijuana wash up on the beaches.

BRB moving to Florida.

HAHA JK I live in Colorado

 

[Supervisor42]

That explains when I got high from that "tuna" sandwich the other day!

...I wonder if 'Dolphin Burgers' will become the new 'Happy Meals'?