Pharmaceuticals Again Found in U.S. Drinking Water

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WASHINGTON, DC, March 10, 2008 (ENS) - Drugs taken for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems contaminate drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, according to a report by the Associated Press National Investigation Team released today. These findings confirm a 2002 report by the U.S. Geological Survey that was the first nationwide study of pharmaceutical pollution in the nation's rivers and streams.

Drug residues contaminate drinking water supplies when people take pills. While their bodies absorb some of the medication, the rest is flushed down the toilet.

Drinking water treatment plants are not designed to remove these pharmaceutical residues, and the AP team uncovered data showing these same chemicals in treated tap water and water supplies in 24 major metropolitan areas.

All of the pharmaceuticals reported in drinking water supplies are unregulated in treated tap water. Although the concentrations of drugs found by the AP research were miniscule, measured in parts per billion, any level is legal and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, does not require water utilities to test for these substances.
Read more at http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2008 ... 10-099.asp
and
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23662257/