Prozac ingredient in the Great Lakes to kill germs, including E. coli

Marilyn sez, "Scientists in Erie, Pa., have found that minute concentrations of fluoxetine, Prozac's active ingredient, are destroying microbial populations in the Great Lakes."

Killing the bacteria may seem like a good thing. "Your first thought is:" Well, that's good, because it is supposed to be there anyway, "said Mercyhurst College microbiologist Steve Mauro, whose team found low-dose fluoxetine in the water near beaches Lake Erie. "But what about all the other bacteria that are supposed to be there and part of that ecosystem?"

The treatment of lake water clean with the same strength doses killed the bacteria E. coli and enterococci, which can cause serious infections in humans.

Fluoxetine is found in Lake Erie is at a very low - about one nanogram per liter of water, said Mauro. "There seems to be at a level that would be harmful to humans, and invertebrates, for that matter, but he suspects that Mauro fluoxetine combined with other chemicals could have a cumulative effect on the ecosystem of the lake.