MWD official: Water is OK to drink

In response to the AP article regarding pharmaceuticals in our drinking water supply, the North County Times has this article:

Regional water officials have a message for those concerned about trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in their tap water —- it’s still OK to drink.  But officials stopped short of declaring there is absolutely nothing harmful about minute particles of prescription and over-the-counter drugs in the local water supply, adding that it’s an issue of concern that is being closely monitored and taken seriously.

“Don’t stop drinking your tap water,” said Mic Stewart, water quality manager for the Metropolitan Water District, which distributes hundreds of millions of gallons each day to about 18 million customers in Southern California, including the Western Municipal and Rancho California water districts, which serve parts of Temecula and Murrieta.  I would drink the water, and I’d let my kids drink the water,” Stewart said.

“It’s just an issue we have to put our arms around. Met continues to survey our water. We are going to stay on top of it.”

Stewart said it remains to be seen what, if any, harmful effects scant amounts of pharmaceuticals in water can have on people. He said he believes the real issue is not the presence of pharmaceuticals, but its level of concentration.

Two years ago, the water agency participated in a national study, sending samples to a research facility in southern Nevada, Stewart said. The sample contained small amounts of the pharmaceutical compound Meprobamate, an anti-anxiety medication, he said.  However, a person would have to consume 300 million liters of water, equivalent to 120 Olympic-sized pools, just to be at the same concentration of one therapeutic dose, he said.

“What does that really mean,” Stewart said. “There is no agreement as to what exposure to these compounds in parts-per-trillion has on human health. There is no definitive information.”

Read the rest of this article from the North County Times by clicking here.

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