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What are we drinking? ---------------------------------------------- Antidepressants in water trigger autism genes in fish Low levels of antidepressants and other psychoactive drugs in water supplies can trigger the expression of genes associated with autism – in fish at least. The use of antidepressants has increased dramatically over the past 25 years, says Michael Thomas of Idaho State University in Pocatello. Around 80 per cent of each drug passes straight through the human body without being broken down, and so they are present in waste water. In most communities, water purification systems cannot filter out these pharmaceuticals. "They just fly right through," says Thomas, which means they ultimately find their way into the water supply. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21882-antidepressants-in-water-trigger-autism-genes-in-fish.html Anti-Depressants linked to Suicide and Violence In June 2001, a jury in Wyoming determined that the antidepressant drug Paxil caused a man to kill his wife, daughter and granddaughter before killing himself. The jury awarded the surviving family $8 million in damages, according to 'American Medical Publishing's Prescription Medicines, Side Effects and Natural Alternatives'. http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/anti-depressants-linked-to-suicide-and-violence Contraceptive pill/ estrogen...significant amounts in the water supply. Couple of interesting articles. Britain faces a £30bn bill to clean up rivers, streams and drinking water supplies contaminated by synthetic hormones from contraceptive pills. Drastic reductions in these chemicals, which have been linked to collapses in fish populations, are proposed in the latest European Union water framework directive. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... ptive-pill Exposure to estrogen puts fish at greater risk of disease and premature death, according to a new federal study. The U.S. Geological Survey study showed that estrogen exposure reduces a fish's ability to produce proteins that help it ward off disease and pointed to a possible link between the occurrence of intersex fish and recent fish kills in the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... -waterways