An Associated Press investigation has shown that drinking water supplies in at least 24 major metropolitan areas across the country have trace amounts of a variety of pharmaceuticals in them. These 24 cities supply drinking water to 41 million Americans. While the concentrations are miniscule, with quantities measuring in parts per billion or trillion, the type of drugs found in the water is troubling to scientists. But the question many people are asking, or should be asking, is how these drugs got into the water in the first place.
Over-the-Counter, Into the Water
Drugs like mood stabilizers, anti-convulsants, antibiotics, and sex hormones are in the water. So are acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and even caffeine. How these drugs got into the water supply may seem like common sense at first glance to many: We take the pills, our bodies absorb what they can, and the rest is flushed out of our systems, down the toilet, and into the water, which is then treated for drinking. Though the water is treated before it gets to reservoirs, lakes, and rivers, there are still trace amounts of whatever it is people are taking. Another way is when we flush old unused prescriptions down the drain.
It is reported that researchers do not yet know all of the risks involved with having trace amounts of these drugs in our water supply, and this has scientists worried about the long-term effects on both humans and wildlife. In fact, fish in many of the affected waterways have the pharmaceuticals in them. But so do organisms as far flung as earthworms, sharks, and even vegetables. What this means to the food pyramid remains to be seen, but the EPA has been looking closely for at least a year.
While the animal world may show the immediate evidence of what drug residue in the water can do, there is some worry about how this might affect the young, the elderly, pregnant women, and those whose immune systems are already compromised.
Key Results
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – 56 pharmaceuticals found in treated drinking water, including medicines for heart problems, mental illness, pain, infection, high cholesterol, epilepsy, and asthma.
- Southern California – 18.5 million people in have traces of anti-anxiety and anti-epileptic medicine in their water.
- Washington, D.C. metro area – Six different pharmaceuticals found.
- San Francisco, California – Traces of a sex hormone were found.
This is only a partial list. What might be even more disturbing is that of the 62 water providers contacted for this study, only 28 tested their water for this investigation. Major cities left off the list include New York, Boston, Chicago, and Miami. Further areas that have not been tested include bottled water and rural wells. One of the possible reasons for the lack of testing is that the federal government doesn’t require it. They also do not require setting safety limits on drugs in the water supply.
Potential Problems
One problem might lie in how these drugs are absorbed into our bodies in the first place. It would be nice to assume that every drug we take is absorbed 100% into our body. However, that doesn’t happen. And it leaves one wondering what percentage is absorbed. Seventy-five percent? Fifty percent?
Another problem might be that doctors over-medicate the population. It probably comes as no surprise that some people are given antibiotics for the common cold. And maybe you aren’t surprised that some people don’t take all of their medicine. Where does the rest of it end up? Flushing them is a direct route to the water supply, and throwing them into the landfill will leech them into the ground, and onward into rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.
Or maybe this is making an ocean out of a water dish. After all, what’s one part per billion or trillion? And do the researchers, scientists, and federal government have the means, and the will, to figure out what types of pharmaceuticals and medications are in all waterways and watersheds in the country?
Regardless, if you feel that you, or a loved one, have been harmed by pharmaceuticals or medicine you don’t believe you needed to take, please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area to find out what your legal options are.
