Prozac, Effexor and Tegratol from Human Waste Can Expose Fetuses to Genetic Modification
Fish exposed to psychiatric medicines showed gene patterns similar to those found in people with autism, in a study suggesting a link between drugs that get into the human water supply and the brain development disorder.
Researchers put antidepressants Prozac and Effexor, as well as antiseizure drug Tegratol into water tanks of minnows. Tests showed that the same genes turned on in people with autism were also triggered in the fish after exposure.
The findings suggest that small amounts of psychiatric medications found in the drinking supply may be a cause of autism, the researchers said. Psychiatric drugs have been linked to autism-like symptoms in studies of rats exposed to the medicines, according to the study.
Concentrations of the drugs are found downstream from water treatment plants that process human waste that contains the medicines. The molecules make their way into the supply downstream, where pregnant mothers who drink the water can pass the exposure to their fetuses.
