People aren’t the only ones getting a jolt from caffeine these days; in a new study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, scientists found elevated concentrations of caffeine in the Pacific Ocean in areas off the coast of Oregon.
Yes, the details include the percentage of metropolitan wastewater treatment centers vs. home (septic) treatment centers and a variety of influences. And yes, one does worry about the serious implication of not only caffeine but also all of the medications and drugs that are being pumped into the ocean.
But I find myself grinning when I think that the Pacific NW is indeed somewhere one might legitimately expect to find elevated levels of caffeine in the ocean. I have heard the function of a worker is to convert caffeine to urine.