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Traces of drugs found in drinking water
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: AP
Your glass of tap water could include traces of antibiotics, sex hormones, mood stabilizers and over-the-counter pain medicines. Tests of drinking water supplies across the country revealed the pharmacological surprise.
The study by The Associated Press included the drinking water supplies of at
least 41 million Americans. The concentrations are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion. That's far below the levels of a medical dose. But some scientists are worried about the long-term consequences to human health.
Researchers don't yet understand the exact risks from decades of exposure to combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals. But recent studies have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.
In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered 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, Kentucky.
Pharmaceuticals in the water are being blamed for severe reproductive problems in many types of fish. Some female fish have developed male genital organs. Fish collected in waterways in and around Chicago, Phoenix, Orlando, Dallas and Philadelphia have tested positive for an array of pharmaceuticals, including analgesics, antibiotics and antidepressants. Bull sharks in a Florida river are being tested for the presence of a variety of medications. Of the first 10 sharks that were
sampled, 9 tested positive for the active ingredient in an antidepressant.
