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Pharmaceuticals have been found in municipal water supplies

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 9, 2008 at 12:06 pm

From the Associated Press:

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.  But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas — from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky.  Water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed, the AP found. For example, the head of a group representing major California suppliers said the public “doesn’t know how to interpret the information” and might be unduly alarmed.

How do the drugs get into the water?

People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue.

And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies — which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public — have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.  “We recognize it is a growing concern and we’re taking it very seriously,” said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For the full text of this story from the Associated Press, click here.

March 9, 2008 · Filed Under Drinking Water

Comments

One Response to “Pharmaceuticals have been found in municipal water supplies”

  1. WaterSource on March 10th, 2008 6:01 am

    “Unnoticed by the General Public”…

    What an insult !

    One member of the lowly General Public has written for months that treated effluenct should not be comingled with reliable domestic groundwater supplies for fear of contamination due to not only gradual accumulation but accidents and equipment failures.

    PRIONS ? Not even an honorable mention…the General Public is aware that mad cow is one of many deadly PRIONs.

    Fluoride in effluent may very well be responsible for the salmon migration problem….the General Public is aware.

    A totally NEW fresh water Source of a million acre feet a year for California. The General Public is aware.

    Long term consequences…the General Public is aware.

    Ray Walker (Retired Water Rights Analyst)
    waterrdw@yahoo.com

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