Antidepressants located in UK water supply

Little amounts of the antidepressant Prozac could be identified inside the nation’s drinking water it was revealed by the environmental agency.

A report inside the Observer newspaper said that the government environmental watchdog are presently discussing the influence of this on human overall health.

A spokesman for the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) said Prozac is most likely to be in a very dilutive state inside the nation’s drinking water.

The newspaper said that environmentalists are calling for an urgent investigation into the proof.

The Liberal Democrat environmental spokesman stated that the picture that could be emerging appears like a case of hidden mass medication upon an unsuspecting public.

The DWI said that the Prozac, referred to as fluoxetine, is unlikely to pose a health threat because it is so watered down.

Within the decade leading up to 2001 the amount of prescriptions for antidepressants has radically increased, rising substantially from 9 million per year to 24,000,000 per year, reports the paper.

A follow-up article covered by The Independent reports that the levels of antidepressants in UK soil features a marked effect on breeding woodland birds, leading to a drop in the UK population of birds. The report, stated that samples taken from earthworms show levels of antidepressants which has lead to a marked effect on bird reproduction.

In accordance with 2011 figures the expenses for antidepressant prescribing rose by 49.8 million to 270 million, a rise of 22.6% from 2010, so it's not surprising that a number of antidepressants are leeching back into the water supply. One has to ask what the long-term impact of getting antidepressants in our water, even so mild dose. Not surprisingly, there appears to be an easy answer, which may perhaps seem controversial - if the government were to spend more money on speaking therapies, not only could this be a lot healthier for the environment, but also for the individual with depression.