Prescription Drugs in Your Water
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 by Samantha Becker September 2008 Every year a massive number of pharmaceutical pills are produced and consumed in the United States as well as in other countries. Among the most common are painkillers, antibiotics, antiseptics, birth control pills, and beta-blockers. And now, small amounts of all of these are being detected in our tap water. Is it harmful and how does it get there? According to an article in Chemistry World magazine published in September 2008, drugs are getting into lakes, rivers, and eventually groundwater aquifers, our major source of drinking water. When someone swallows a pill, not all of the medication is processed and anything not absorbed is passed through the body and ends up in the sewage. Other pathways that these drugs can get into the sewage include flushing unused medication down the toilet, and waste disposal from pharmaceutical manufacturing sites and possibly hospitals. The risk posed by exposure to pharmaceuticals in our drinking water is unknown. While the total concentration of drugs in the water is a tiny fraction of what is prescribed in a dose, there is more than just one kind present. This brings up the question of whether or not some medications can interact with each other and produce harmful or toxic effects in our bodies, and has become a concern among experts. It’s so much of a concern that in August 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to investigate the potential risk of exposure to these drugs in our drinking supplies. The NAS plans to advise the EPA by the end of the year. In the meantime, studies are being done to determine the extent of contamination. In November 2007, the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) reported drinking water test results from 20 facilities, and 6 water-reuse plants. They found that several pharmaceuticals were present in more than 65% of treated water samples, although in small amounts. The insect repellant DEET was found in 90% of treated water samples. The problem is that wastewater treatment plants are currently not capable of removing pharmaceuticals and their technology is inadequate for detecting such tiny amounts of these drugs in our water is inadequate. While methods that can remove all the drugs from our water do exist, these techniques require an extreme amount of energy and are very inefficient. It’s also difficult to overcome the fact that each type of pharmaceutical may need a different treatment process for removal. Drinking water contamination is not isolated to the United States. Germany, Switzerland, and England have all detected pharmaceuticals in their drinking water supply. These countries have responded by implementing more advanced techniques that effectively remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater. It is currently being discussed in these countries to also effectively treat the wastewater dumped into the ecosystem. Besides being in our water, there is a potential of being exposed to contaminants in our foods. Many drugs are fat soluble, which means they are capable of accumulating in the environment and eventually consumed by us. In particular, antidepressants, being widely prescribed, are one of the most potentially harmful contaminants. This is because most antidepressants work the same way, and therefore a combination would have an additive effect. Exposure to tiny amounts of multiple antidepressants has already been found to affect fish, crustaceans, and algae. It is unlikely better techniques will be implemented for pharmaceutical removal from wastewater in all United States treatment facilities until conclusive evidence exists exposure to medications in our drinking water is harmful. So what’s the answer to all of this? Until treatment methods improve, perhaps it’s a good idea to use bottled water from sources that are contaminant free for drinking and cooking. Just make sure to recycle the empty containers. back to top Reference: Maria Burke, "Something in the Water", Chemistry World, Vol 5, No 9, p48, 2008. Comment on this Article:  |
