'Such regular occurrence of illicit drugs in wildlife was surprising. The study also detected ketamine, alprazolam and diazepam. Lidocaine, which is used as a local anesthetic and sometimes in tandem with cocaine, was the second most common substance found. The researchers' paper, published recently in Environment International, says the concentration of cocaine did not fluctuate much between sites, 'showing widespread contamination.' They tested the shrimp for a wide range of pharmaceuticals, pesticides and illicit drugs.Д¬ocaine was found in samples at every single site. The researchers from King's College London and the University of Suffolk collected samples of Gammarus pulex shrimp in 15 locations in the county of Suffolk, northeast of London. 'What's very worrying is we don't know what the effects are, the ecological effects.' 'We detect these compounds in the environment because people use them, and the things that we use in our everyday lives end up getting into the environment,' she says. Research News Scientists Spy On Bees, See Harmful Effects Of Common Insecticide 'Pharmaceuticals and personal care products and pesticides and these types of illicit drugs have been detected in surface waters all over the world, because when we use them, our waste isn't always treated properly, and so they come out in rivers and streams,' Emma Rosi, an aquatic ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies who has done similar studies, tells NPR. A newer area of study is looking at how these chemicals impact wildlife living in these ecosystems. He added: 'For many of these, the potential for any effect is likely to be low.'ДЇor years, scientists have found trace amounts of illicit drugs, pharmaceuticals and pesticides in drinking water around the world. 'We found that the most frequently detected compounds were illicit drugs, including cocaine and ketamine and a banned pesticide, fenuron,' said King's College London environmental toxicologist Thomas Miller. Small amounts of cocaine, pesticides and other contaminants have been detected in U.K. Freshwater shrimp from the species Gammarus pulex like this one, collected in Suffolk County in the U.K., were found to have traces of cocaine.

Drinking cocaine water