Wildlife Near Glastonbury Festival at Risk From Public Urination Containing Cocaine and MDMA, Study Finds

Researchers have found that local wildlife was impacted by public urination that contained traces of drugs at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival.

BBC reports dangerously high levels of cocaine and MDMA were found in the Whitelake River, which runs adjacent to the festival’s Somerset, United Kingdom location. According to researchers, the finding could hinder conservation efforts of rare European eels that are located in the area.

“Unfortunately, Glastonbury Festival’s close proximity to a river results in any drugs released by festival attendees having little time to degrade in the soil before entering the fragile freshwater ecosystem,” one of the scientists attached to the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Research, said. The study is titled “The environmental release and ecosystem risks of illicit drugs during Glastonbury Festival.”

Toxic levels of the site were taken before, during, and after the festival in 2019. The study ultimately found that MDMA concentrations quadrupled the week after the festival, which suggests that there could be long-term damage to the local ecosystem.