Tap Water Contaminated with Prescription Medications
A frightening Associated Press investigation has revealed the presence of pharmaceuticals in the water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas serving at least 41 million Americans. Compounds found in tap water included caffeine, disinfectants, anti-depressants, antacids, synthetic hormones from birth control pills, antibiotics, heart medications and pain killers.
These compounds were found at very small concentrations, which officials claim don’t pose an immediate health risk. However, they admit that there is no data on the longterm effects of chronic low level exposure. Most water utilities don’t test for these contaminants, and most are also incapable of removing them. Studies have shown that ozone water treatment is the most effective way to break down these drugs, while chlorine and UV light treatment are far less effective.
I personally found the news reports related to these findings alarming to say the least. First we warned off of drinking bottled water, due to the possibility of chemicals leaching out of the plastic bottles when they are exposed to heat during shipment. Now we find pharmaceuticals in our tap water.
When I googled “removing pharmaceuticals from drinking water”, I was even more concerned when I found an article at Environmental Science and Technology Online which discussed similar findings back in 2005. That means that we’ve known since at least 2005 that caffeine, progesterone, and the anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine are not broken down by chlorine water treatment. According to their article, the more effective ozone water treatment was able to reduce chemical concentrations by 30% or more. 30%?? While I’ll admit it’s better than drinking the stuff straight, it’s a far cry from eliminating pharmaceuticals completely.
Clearly, this information is frightening considering how often we are exposed to tap water through drinking, cooking and bathing. Imagine what this stuff could be doing to a newborn being exclusively fed formula mixed with tap water. At this point, I haven’t found any good at home solutions for dealing with this problem, but I’d love to hear from all of you f you have any ideas.
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