I located some useful information regarding the recent Associated Press (AP) report about the pharmaceutical drugs detected in our public drinking water supply.
Water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings unless pressed, 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.
I feel really calm, safe and well cared for after that statement!
Any way, here are some results:
• Officials in Philadelphia said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city's watersheds.
• Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people in Southern California.
• A sex hormone was detected in San Francisco's drinking water.
• Three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in drinking water in Tucson.
• Antibiotics were found in Denver's water supply.
The situation is likely worse than suggested by the positive test results in the major population centers documented by AP. The federal government doesn't require any testing and hasn't set safety limits for drugs in water. Of the 62 major water providers contacted, the drinking water for only 28 was tested. Colorado Springs was among the cities that do not do such testing.
Some providers screen only for one or two pharmaceuticals, leaving open the possibility that others are present.
For more information, see:
http://www.currentargus.com/ci_8516077
Monday, March 24, 2008
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