The use of drugs by UK recreational divers: prescribed and over-the-counter medications.

Introduction: Various prescribed and over-the-counter medications may theoretically be incompatible with the diving environment. Anecdotally, it is known divers regularly take medications around the time of their diving activities for different health conditions, possibly ignoring the recommendations not to do so. As part of a diversion in a study of illicit drug use in sport divers, secondary data regarding the use of prescribed and over-the-counter medications were gathered.

The use of drugs by UK recreational divers: illicit drugs.

Aims: Anecdotal observations suggest the use of illicit drugs takes place amongst recreational divers but, to date, there has been little open debate within the diving community concerning possible prevalence. This study investigated the prevalence and type of illicit drugs used by recreational divers in the United Kingdom (UK).

Methods: Anonymous questionnaires were circulated via UK dive clubs, dive schools, dive shows and conferences.

Toxicity of metals to the bivalve Tellina deltoidalis and relationships between metal bioaccumulation and metal partitioning between seawater and marine sediments.

The Australian benthic bivalve Tellina deltoidalis tolerates a wide range of sediment and water conditions, is easy to handle in the laboratory, and is a useful species for undertaking whole-sediment toxicity tests. The sensitivity of T. deltoidalis to metals was investigated in 10-day metal-spiked sediment exposures for Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn and in water-only exposures for Cu and Zn.

The combined oral contraceptive pill and the assumed 28-day cycle.

Some studies involving women taking the combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) have on occasion assumed the COCP group to have a rigid 28-day pharmaceutically driven cycle. Anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise, with many women adjusting their COCP usage to alter the time between break-through bleeds for sporting and social reasons. A prospective field study involving 533 scuba diving females allowed all menstrual cycle lengths (COCP and non-COCP) to be observed for up to three consecutive years (St Leger Dowse et al.

An assessment of five Australian polychaetes and bivalves for use in whole-sediment toxicity tests: toxicity and accumulation of copper and zinc from water and sediment.

The suitability of two polychaete worms, Australonereis ehlersi and Nephtys australiensis, and three bivalves, Mysella anomala, Tellina deltoidalis, and Soletellina alba, were assessed for their potential use in whole-sediment toxicity tests. All species except A. ehlersi, which could not be tested because of poor survival in water-only tests, survived in salinities ranging from 18 per thousand to 34 per thousand during the 96-hour exposure period.