Mussels Near Seattle Test Positive for Opioids

The human toll of opioid addiction has long been documented, as communities across the country grapple with the epidemic. Shockingly, there’s now evidence that the drug is also impacting the environment, marine life, and potential food supplies.

Scientists at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, in conjunction with the Puget Sound Institute, have discovered that previously clean mussels have tested positive for oxycodone in three of 18 research locations around the Puget Sound.

So how do these contaminants end up in local waters anyway? When humans ingest opioids, they excrete traces of the drug, which end up in wastewater when when flushed down the toilet. While many contaminants are filtered out before wastewater reaches oceans, some chemicals can’t entirely be caught.

Since mussels act as “filter feeders,” they tend to absorb contaminants from their surroundings in their tissues in ways other sea life don’t. While only a trace amount of opioids were detected in the shellfish (about a thousand times smaller than an average human dose), it is still a telling measure of just how much environmental damage an already destructive epidemic is wreaking.

While mussels aren’t likely to metabolize oxycodone, other fish actually do. There was a previous study by the University of Utah which showed that zebrafish willingly dosed themselves with opioids. Scientists say other fish like salmon could possibly mimic that response. Yikes.

If there’s any good news to be found in these bleak findings, it’s that none of the mussels that tested positive were near any commercial shellfish beds. But that doesn’t mean these contaminants won’t increase or spread. It’s certainly something that warrants future observation and research, and a disturbing development that makes you realize just how many unintended repercussions human are capable of causing. Hopefully we can work to reverse and prevent them too.

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Here’s How Restaurant Noise May Influence What You Order

Everybody knows sound can have a big impact on your dining experience. A crowded, noisy dive bar has a way different vibe than a quiet, upscale steakhouse. But can the volume of these disparate atmospheres have an effect on what you actually order? A new study, one that claims to be the first of its kind, says yes.

Researchers found thatsimply raising or lowering the volume of music in a restaurant led people to order unhealthier or healthier food. Here’s why. Volume has long been known to impact heart rate and arousal. In places with quieter and softer music, diners tend to be calmer and more aware of what they order, usually resulting in a healthier meal. Louder sounds result in stimulation and stress, driving us to unhealthier choices. Maybe we should wear ear plugs to the bar next time so we don’t order a second serving of curly fries?

The research team analyzed this theory by taking over a cafe in Stockholm. They coded the menu items as healthy, unhealthy, and neutral and played music of various genres on a loop at both 55 and 70 decibels. Of the 549 menu items that were sold over the course of the experiment, 20 percent more customers ordered something unhealthy when the music was louder. The number of non-healthy items sold also jumped 10 percentage points during the times of louder music, while healthy choices dropped seven percent. These findings were published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences.

While most of us know what we’re in the mood for before going out to eat, these findings can still help us make healthier decisions, just by making us more conscious of how many seemingly minor factors impact our choices. Though who are we kidding? If you have your mind set on pizza, you’re not going to get a salad instead.

The implications beyond individual choice are also fascinating. Dipayan Biswas, marketing professor at USF’s Muma College of Business and leader of the study, also had this to say, “Restaurants and supermarkets can use ambient music strategically to influence consumer buying behavior.” In other words, be wary of any smoothie bar blasting punk rock.

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Extra-Crispy Fried Chicken With Caramelized Honey and Spice

waffle recipe uses exactly one quart of buttermilk, so fire up those waffle makers... Get Recipe!

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Blueberry Pitcher Margaritas

I think we’ve all seen cocktails that get out of hand with creativity, and we’ve probably all encountered when a margarita gets a bit too crazy.

I’m thinking about margaritas made with wonky ingredients like bubblegum, fish sauce, or chocolate. I think the worst I ever saw was a dill-passionfruit flavored “margarita” where the tequila was swapped out for vodka.

Vodka! Can you imagine?!

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