President: Professor Christopher Stephens MBA MAEd FRCGP
A meeting of the Southampton Medical Society was held on the 5th February 2025. The President was in the chair. The minutes of the last meeting were approved.
The President introduced the speaker Professor Alex Ford, Professor of Biology at Portsmouth University, who spoke to the title “Prawns on Prozac, whatever next, Crabs on Cocaine?”.
Professor Ford began his talk by saying that there is a triple crisis: Climate Change, Loss of Biodiversity and Pollution. He said that you cannot see the majority of pollution; most people think it is easily visible [and he showed a disgusting picture of a Southern Water pumping station pumping out untreated waste]. There are 12.7 million consented discharges a year recorded officially in this country. Our speaker conducts research into the invisible pollutants: chemicals, drugs - both medical and “recreational” in vast quantities, and other soluble pollutants which cannot be processed before being discharged. He said there are 150 million registered chemicals on the US Database of which 350,000 are released on a daily basis. There are 19,905 endocrine chemicals, especially oestrogens, being discharged daily. As a result of patients on these drugs children are being seriously affected - reduced sperm counts and cancers - and research is suggesting that the next generation are being affected as well. These oestrogen pollutants are affecting all animals as can be seen in panthers with undescended testicles, feminised male alligators and even sterile maritime snails. Downstream from the discharge points intersex fish have been identified with ovarian tissue in the testes. In an experiment caged fish put downstream from the discharges showed signs of oestrogen effects within 2 weeks of being exposed. In Canada, in Lake 260 the fish have died out due to high oestrogen concentrations. In India vultures have died out due to eating the carcasses of cattle given diclofenac. The pollution map of the UK can highlight areas where antidepressants are prescribed in large amounts.
A dark/light experiment with shrimps showed that after exposure to prozac they swam higher in the water to get more light and thus become more at risk from predators. The prozac affects their genes. Professor Ford said PCBs are still affecting the environment even 30 years after being banned. Lulu the killer whale who was washed up on a beach in Scotland recently had the highest level of PCBs ever recorded. She was infertile. Her pod is dying out as they too are infertile. Then there are the PFASs - the coating on frying pans, clothing etc. which are building up in the food chain. We have to develop better ways of dealing with these substances. At present no-one is doing anything about it.
The President thanked Professor Ford for a brilliant talk.