Mussels Test Positive for Opioids in Research Study
- 6 years ago
Mussels Test Positive for Opioids in Research Study Scientists at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife worked with the Puget Sound Institute to conduct research on water pollution by using mussels. Uncontaminated mussels tested positive for opioids after spending months in the waters surrounding Puget Sound, which runs along the northwestern coast of Washington. How did this happen? Jennifer Lanksbury, a biologist at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, to
CBS Seattle affiliate KIRO. Mussels are “filter feeders” that absorb contaminants in the environment into their tissues, making them a great barometer for the study. The scientists noted that mussels most likely aren’t physically harmed because they can’t metabolize opioids in the same ways that humans can. None of the affected mussels were near commercial shellfish beds, and the amounts of opioids tested were thousands of times smaller than an average human dose.
CBS Seattle affiliate KIRO. Mussels are “filter feeders” that absorb contaminants in the environment into their tissues, making them a great barometer for the study. The scientists noted that mussels most likely aren’t physically harmed because they can’t metabolize opioids in the same ways that humans can. None of the affected mussels were near commercial shellfish beds, and the amounts of opioids tested were thousands of times smaller than an average human dose.