A recent report found that public urination from Glastonbury attendees caused a “dangerous” amount of MDMA and cocaine to be found in the nearby Whitelake River. This report comes from the last edition of the festival in 2019 which welcomed over 200,000 attendees.
According to BBC, the levels of MDMA quadrupled in the week following the festival which takes place in Somerset, England. Environmentalists are concerned these massively increased levels of the popular party drug will threaten the diminishing population of European eels that inhabit waterways close to the festival.
“Our main concern is the environmental impact. This study identifies that drugs are being released at levels high enough to disrupt the lifecycle of the European eel,” says Dr Christian Dunn, from Bangor University in Bangor, England.
A spokesman for Glastonbury said: “We are aware that the biggest threat to our waterways – and the wildlife for which they provide a habitat – comes from festivalgoers urinating on the land.”
Despite how much a festival tries to prevent public urination, the burden of responsibility falls on the attendees. To those reading this piece, please do not urinate on festival grounds. It is not only disrespectful to the event and your fellow attendees, but it is now clear it harms the environment as a whole. Be better than that.
h/t Reuters
