NEW YORK — At least 41 million Americans receive drinking water tainted by an array of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, caffeine, mood stabilizers and sex hormones, according to a recent investigative report by The Associated Press.
The report, covered in various media outlets ranging from The Washington Post to CNN to AOL News, confirms that the pharmaceuticals in drinking water sources and treated drinking water are in trace amounts. “Utilities insist their water is safe,” according to the report.
The AP report, stemming from a five-month inquiry, revealed that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas, from Southern California to northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, KY.
In the Washington, DC, area, for example, drinking water contains trace amounts of seven pharmaceuticals, including those administered to humans, used as an ingredient in soap products or administered to farm animals. The list, supplied to The Washington Post by water supplier Washington Aqueduct, includes caffeine; carbamazepine, an anti-convulsive to reduce epileptic seizures and a mood stabilizer for treating bipolar disorders; monensin, an antibiotic administered to cattle; sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic that can be used to treat infections in humans and animals; and triclocarban, a disinfectant found in antibacterial soaps.
AOL News’ coverage of the report offers a snapshot of cities found to have pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. It also polls readers on their water beverage of choice (bottled vs. tap) and asks, “How concerned are you about the drugs found in drinking water?” Of 387,286 poll respondents, 57 percent answered that they drank bottled water.
Readers offering their opinion on how concerned they are regarding drugs in drinking water were offered three responses: “very,” “a little” and “not at all.” Of 373,628 poll respondents, the majority — 70 percent — said they were “very” concerned and just 9 said “not at all.”
As WaterTech Online™ has reported, the area of research into drinking water contaminated by pharmaceuticals is emerging and more reports nationally and internationally are detailing the potential impacts on aquatic and human life.
The Water Quality Association (WQA), a Lisle, IL-based association of water treatment professionals, has included pharmaceuticals, also known as endocrine disrupting chemicals, among “emerging contaminants” and noted that the water treatment industry will be looked upon as a resource for technology to remove the contaminants from drinking water, as WaterTech Online reported.
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