Opioids found in Mussels

I don't see any significant resolution to this opioid crisis in my lifetime (and I'm only 36). Massachusetts is currently in the death grips with it now. Now when I hear of another death (daily) it doesn't even phase me anymore.
 
A lot, not all mind you, but a lot never the less, of prescription drugs showing up in our waterways is coming from people flushing them down the toilet. It is kind of hard, for me anyway to get upset with someone who is thinking they are doing the right thing and getting them out of their house and out of their life. No, I am not advocating flushing them, and yes I know there are proper ways of disposing them. Just saying.
 
To add to the joyful news, I was just reading a recent issue of National Geographic on plastics in the ocean (recommended reading). As plastics break down into microscopic pieces, they end up in filter feeders and work their way back up the food chain. And here I thought that sewage was going to be the big issue with eating clams, oysters, and mussels off of my beach.

I remember seeing the scene in The Graduate and thinking that "plastics" was kind of weird. Turns out that instead of "plastics," he might have said to Dustin Hoffman "accept Satan." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSxihhBzCjk]

Mark
 
I am not pleased opioids are found in mussels near urban areas. However, it might be well to keep this in perspective. Quote from the article: "The institute reported that the amount of oxycodone found in the tainted mussels was thousands of times lower than a therapeutic dose for humans. And the highly addictive drug was only ingested by mussels in three of 18 test sites, described as highly urbanized and not near any commercial shellfish beds."

With advances in analytical methods for detection of targeted molecules, it is now possible to detect almost any common drug in use by humans ... almost anywhere. This is a good thing, because it allows us to begin to establish cause and effect relationships, such as whether mussels are affected by oxycodone in the levels found. If so, we should take reasonable steps to prevent oxycodone from reaching marine environments.

Further, there are so many well recognized, fully documented environmental poisons contaminating selected water sources across the nation, whose presence is NOT being addressed, for technical as well as political reasons, that we should deal with the acute problems at hand before being diverted by what likely is a minor problem ... or not a problem at all.

Flint, Michigan, is by no means the only large US city with significant heavy metal contamination of its water supply. And we KNOW exactly what the effects of this contamination are on growing children.

Off the soap box.
 
With advances in analytical methods for detection of targeted molecules, it is now possible to detect almost any common drug in use by humans ... almost anywhere.
Click to expand...

I have run an analytical lab at the University of Washington for, well, 31 years now, and I think Dave's insight is key. I certainly wouldn't worry too much about eating shellfish based on this.

I have seen abilities to detect go from parts per million to parts per quadrillion for some things, and new techniques (i.e. PCR) that make it possible to do tests that were not possible earlier, including origin of diseases in salmon, and whether contaminants in shellfish come from humans, dogs, or birds. All of these are incredibly useful when used properly.

Another change. Many University admins now value a newspaper headline more than actual scholarly work, and researchers have responded. There is often very little useful information (i.e. "traces of X were found in Y"). When you go to the original research the headline is based on, it usually isn't so scary. With the right equipment, I can probably find just about anything in any environmental sample.

Thank you, Dave, for that perspective on this newspaper article.
 
Grandma used to say, "You are what you eat."

I believe this is to be true.

So, just how much poison am I to allow myself?

Aye.
 
Maybe theyre just mussel relaxants? :smilep

I don't put a lot of stock into. The areas these shellfish were pulled from is contaminated with all sorts of things. They targeted a select compound to look for and found it, which I'm actually surprised they didn't find it in all the samples. How much dioxin, lead/arsenic and organophosphates were also in these mussels if they tested for that? The sewage streams and rainwater in the Puget Sound area, dump into the sound. Sewage is treated for things like fecal coliform bacteria and to remove the solids, but most other scary things stay in the solution. nobody in there right mind would eat any of these mussels that tested positive for opioids. If anything this study points to a problem with the population outpacing aging infrastructure.
 
Yet people all the time eat raw oysters, which may harbor a highly undesirable
virus ("vibro"), seemingly not minding the risk. They just taste sooo good. True.
That is until you eat the wrong one(s) and face serious debilitation or worse.

Aye.
Grandma used to say, "With raw shellfish, it's not 'if', it's 'when'."
 
robwha,

I think we may be birds of a feather. UW 1972, o-chem out of Bagley Hall. Been teaching chemistry in Astoria since 1973. Sounds like you work with or know Dave Kalman?

Added perspective: in the day (1972), a good bit of the outfall material in Puget Sound was released deep, IIRC, with minimal treatment. "Tidal exchange and flushing" was the rationale for this.
 
I read this a couple of weeks ago. My initial take: small sample from very, very urban area/waterway. Not enough to make me freak out. But, we had better get in front of this.

Ironic, considering that Seattle practically encourages drug use...
 
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