Antidepressants 'taking toll on sea life'

London, July 8 (ANI): Scientists have revealed that antidepressants threaten sea's ecosystem.

They warned that rising levels of antidepressants in coastal waters could change sea life behaviour and potentially damage the food chain.

A study into the behaviour of shrimps exposed to the antidepressant fluoxetine showed that their behaviour was dramatically affected.

Researchers found that shrimps are five times more likely to swim towards light instead of away from it, making them more likely to be eaten by fish or birds.

"This could seriously upset the natural balance of the ecosystem," the Scotsman quoted Dr Alex Ford, from the University of Portsmouth's Institute of Marine Sciences, as saying. (ANI)