Drugs in your drinking water

RolandTD20KdrummerRolandTD20Kdrummer Posts: 13,066
edited March 2008 in A Moving Train
I hope my Reverse Osmosis filter catches most/all of this shit... I'm thinking it does as I only ever drink and cook with R.O. water, and I see a lot of people thinking/acting rather strangely these days. Add up all these chemicals together and it could be a very serious problem. It also goes a long way to the saying "what ____ do they put in the water down there?" haha..no but seriously. Not good.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080309/ap_on_re_us/pharmawater_i_4

"A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.
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To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.

But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

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, Ky.

Water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed, the 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.

How do the drugs get into the water?

People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue.

And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies — which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public — have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.

"We recognize it is a growing concern and we're taking it very seriously," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency."
Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.

http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg

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Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • NevermindNevermind Posts: 1,006
    I was just about to post this asshole :)
    Edit: The list of drugs found in our water disappeared from article.
  • Nevermind wrote:
    I was just about to post this asshole :)

    lol....

    psst... ====> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMAnYUwIhk0 <===

    :D
    Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
    and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
    over specific principles, goals, and policies.

    http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg

    (\__/)
    ( o.O)
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  • stuckinlinestuckinline Posts: 3,380
    hey, i saw this article as well. some scary info.........


    "Another issue: There's evidence that adding chlorine, a common process in conventional drinking water treatment plants, makes some pharmaceuticals more toxic."
  • pjtaperpjtaper Posts: 3,020
    hey, i saw this article as well. some scary info.........


    "Another issue: There's evidence that adding chlorine, a common process in conventional drinking water treatment plants, makes some pharmaceuticals more toxic."
    I've heard people who drink only bottled water have more dental problems...
    I like wine!
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    savin money on beer tonight, drinking tap water instead.
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    no but seroiusly that's fucked up...what are they putting in our drinking water. Chem trails, corporate products that do the oppposite of what they claim, and now our water is being fucked with.
  • flywallyflyflywallyfly Posts: 1,453
    Jesus. The human race is outsmarting itself. Does anyone know if at home water filtration systems would even clean this junk out ?
  • Jesus. The human race is outsmarting itself. Does anyone know if at home water filtration systems would even clean this junk out ?

    as per this article http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040826085912.htm

    "New research shows that wastewater treatment plants that employ a combination of purifying techniques followed by reverse osmosis - a process by which water is forced through a barrier that only water can pass - do a good job of removing chemicals that may elicit health effects."

    "The research shows that water-reclamation plants employing reverse osmosis do in fact remove more contaminants.

    For example, the conventional treatment plant, which after initial treatment still contained detectable levels of 13 of the different contaminants under study, eliminated only five of them from the discharged water. The two reclamation plants, which had 16 and 14 different contaminants present after initial treatment, eliminated 16 and 12 of the chemical compounds, respectively.

    "Conventional wastewater treatment processes don't eliminate pharmaceuticals and hormones as effectively, resulting in the release of low levels of these compounds into the environment," says Pedersen. "The more advanced processes, on the other hand, do a pretty good job at removing compounds."
    Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
    and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
    over specific principles, goals, and policies.

    http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg

    (\__/)
    ( o.O)
    (")_(")
  • flywallyflyflywallyfly Posts: 1,453
    as per this article http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040826085912.htm

    "New research shows that wastewater treatment plants that employ a combination of purifying techniques followed by reverse osmosis - a process by which water is forced through a barrier that only water can pass - do a good job of removing chemicals that may elicit health effects."

    "The research shows that water-reclamation plants employing reverse osmosis do in fact remove more contaminants.

    For example, the conventional treatment plant, which after initial treatment still contained detectable levels of 13 of the different contaminants under study, eliminated only five of them from the discharged water. The two reclamation plants, which had 16 and 14 different contaminants present after initial treatment, eliminated 16 and 12 of the chemical compounds, respectively.

    "Conventional wastewater treatment processes don't eliminate pharmaceuticals and hormones as effectively, resulting in the release of low levels of these compounds into the environment," says Pedersen. "The more advanced processes, on the other hand, do a pretty good job at removing compounds."

    Thanks. I guess I'll be buying a new filtration system this week.
  • NevermindNevermind Posts: 1,006
    At least one pharmaceutical or byproduct was detected in testing within the watersheds of 28 major metropolitan areas, according to an Associated Press survey of 62 major water providers and data obtained from independent researchers.

    Test protocols varied widely. Some researchers tested for more drugs than others. Thirty-five areas said they tested. Four said tests were negative and three said they were awaiting results. Twenty-seven locations said they had not tested watershed supplies

    Here's the list of the 28 areas with pharmaceuticals detected, with the number found and some examples.

    Arlington, Texas: 5 (unspecified drugs)

    Atlanta: 10 (including caffeine, sulfamethoxazole, diltiazem, acetaminophen, trimethoprim, cotinine and paraxanthine)

    Cincinnati: 4 (gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, sulfamethaxazole and ethinyl estradiol)

    Columbus, Ohio: 15 (including azithromycin, erythromycin, roxithromycin, tylosin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and caffeine)

    Concord, Calif.: (unspecified drugs)

    Denver: (unspecified antibiotics)

    Detroit: (unspecified total; including carbamazepine, caffeine, cotinine)

    Fairfax, Va.: 8 (erythromycin, lincomycin, trimethoprim, tylosin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole)

    Indianapolis: 2 (caffeine and cotinine)

    Las Vegas: 9 (including sulfamethoxazole, atenolol, trimethoprim, meprobamate, phenytoin, carbamazepine and gemfibrozil)

    Long Beach, Calif.: 9 (unspecified drugs)

    Los Angeles: 9 (unspecified drugs)

    Louisville, Ky.: 2 (ibuprofen and naproxen)

    Milwaukee: 1 (cotinine)

    Minneapolis: 3 (acetaminophen, caffeine and cotinine)

    New York City: 16 (including atenolol, trimethoprim, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, estrogen, acetaminophen and diazepam)

    Northern New Jersey: 13 (including acetaminophen, carbamazepine, codeine, dehydronifedipine, erythromycin, lincomycin and sulfadimethoxine)

    Oklahoma City: 12 (including acetaminophen, fluoxetine, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, iopromide, sulfamethoxazole and iopromide)

    Omaha, Neb.: 2 (caffeine and sulfamethoxazole)

    Philadelphia: 63 (including amoxicillin, aspirin, atorvastatin, bacitracin, diclofenac, phenytoin and fluoxetine)

    Prince George's-Montgomery counties, Md.: 3 (caffeine, carbamazepine and cotinine)

    Riverside County, Calif.: 9 (unspecified drugs)

    San Diego: 12 (clofibrate, clofibric acid, ibuprofen and nine unspecified)

    San Francisco: 1 (estrone)

    Santa Clara, Calif.: (unspecified drugs)

    Southern California: 9 (including atenolol, phenytoin, fluoxetine, gemfibrozil, meprobamate, naproxen and trimethoprim)

    Virginia Beach, Va.: 4 (fluoxetine, estradiol, acetaminophen and ibuprofen)

    Washington, D.C.: 5 (monensin, ibuprofen, caffeine, carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole)

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080309/ap_on_re_us/pharmawater_watersheds
  • Smellyman2Smellyman2 Posts: 689
    and there is cochroach poop in almsot everything you eat!
  • g under pg under p Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,200

    That sounded like Peter Gabriel. This could also be name a terrorist activity just turn up the fear meter.

    Peace
    *We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti

    *MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
    .....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti

    *The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)


  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    This helps me understand a lot more about south Jersey.:D
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • drugs in our drinking water? for free!!?

    did i just die and go to heaven?

    its about time I was able to get high off tap water!
  • ajedigeckoajedigecko \m/deplorable af \m/ Posts: 2,430
    i found it interesting that we are not supposed to be worried because it is measured in parts per billion or trillion.

    i would like to visit the businesses that dump this into the water and let them know that i am about to put "one drop" of my urine into their water cooler and they should not be concerned.....there is no way they will taste my piss.
    live and let live...unless it violates the pearligious doctrine.
  • PJPOWERPJPOWER Posts: 6,499
    Is it more upsetting that you are drinking people's urine, or that you are drinking the drugs that were in the urine?
  • my2handsmy2hands Posts: 17,117
    I hope my Reverse Osmosis filter catches most/all of this shit... I'm thinking it does as I only ever drink and cook with R.O. water, and I see a lot of people thinking/acting rather strangely these days. Add up all these chemicals together and it could be a very serious problem. It also goes a long way to the saying "what ____ do they put in the water down there?" haha..no but seriously. Not good.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080309/ap_on_re_us/pharmawater_i_4

    "A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.
    ADVERTISEMENT

    To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.

    But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

    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, Ky.

    Water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed, the 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.

    How do the drugs get into the water?

    People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue.

    And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies — which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public — have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.

    "We recognize it is a growing concern and we're taking it very seriously," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency."


    this is good news... i no longer have to pay for a buzz :cool:
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Tim Leary had the right idea - put LSD in the country's water supply. I wonder what effect that would have had? I mean, imagine if everyone in the States would have experienced a trip at some time in their lives? Where would Donald Rumsfeld and Georgie boy be now? Probably on a childrens t.v game show dressed as chickens.
  • Solat13Solat13 Posts: 6,996
    Nevermind wrote:

    Philadelphia: 63 (including amoxicillin, aspirin, atorvastatin, bacitracin, diclofenac, phenytoin and fluoxetine)

    Woohoo! At least Philly is first in something other than having the highest murder rate in big cities. ;)
    - Busted down the pretext
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  • tybirdtybird Posts: 17,388
    ajedigecko wrote:
    i found it interesting that we are not supposed to be worried because it is measured in parts per billion or trillion.

    i would like to visit the businesses that dump this into the water and let them know that i am about to put "one drop" of my urine into their water cooler and they should not be concerned.....there is no way they will taste my piss.
    The problem is not businesses dumping drugs into the water, the problem is consumers flushing their old medicine down the toilet.
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • mca47mca47 Posts: 13,298
    This is seriously messed up!!

    Between this and a recent contamination incident here in Scottsdale, where TCE (Trichloroethylene- a cancer causing chemical) was found in the water supply in certain areas...I'm glad I chose to stop drinking municiple tap water over 7 years ago.

    Yeah, there are some anti-bottled water people out there, but fuck 'em! I'll take my water pure and clean thank you!
  • Kel VarnsenKel Varnsen Posts: 1,952
    mca47 wrote:
    Yeah, there are some anti-bottled water people out there, but fuck 'em! I'll
    take my water pure and clean thank you!

    I did a tour of a municipal water plant awhile ago and one interesting there was on interesting fact the guy giving the tour mentioned. In Canada, since bottled water is considered a food product, it isn't subjected to anywhere near the amount of regulation and safety testing that tap water is. So bottled water could possibly have all the toxins or more than what tap water would, there is actually less of a guarantee that it is pure.
  • mca47mca47 Posts: 13,298
    I did a tour of a municipal water plant awhile ago and one interesting there was on interesting fact the guy giving the tour mentioned. In Canada, since bottled water is considered a food product, it isn't subjected to anywhere near the amount of regulation and safety testing that tap water is. So bottled water could possibly have all the toxins or more than what tap water would, there is actually less of a guarantee that it is pure.

    You're absolutely right. In fact a lot of "spring water" has added chlorine. Many come from municiple sources, that are "filtered". "Filtered" is a little to vague for me. Haha!

    The water I drink is a certain brand that specifies where it came from and all of the purification processes that went into bottling it.
    That said, I'll be sticking with it as a) I don't trust tap water and b) Tap water (at least here) tastes like ass.
  • Kel VarnsenKel Varnsen Posts: 1,952
    mca47 wrote:
    You're absolutely right. In fact a lot of "spring water" has added chlorine. Many come from municiple sources, that are "filtered". "Filtered" is a little to vague for me. Haha!

    The water I drink is a certain brand that specifies where it came from and all of the purification processes that went into bottling it.
    That said, I'll be sticking with it as a) I don't trust tap water and b) Tap water (at least here) tastes like ass.

    I understand your point about the taste, but what makes you trust bottled water more than tap water. I mean I know you say they tell you their purification process but how do you know for sure that it is purifying the water as well as they say it is?
  • mca47mca47 Posts: 13,298
    I understand your point about the taste, but what makes you trust bottled water more than tap water. I mean I know you say they tell you their purification process but how do you know for sure that it is purifying the water as well as they say it is?

    Let's just say that obtaining a biochemisty degree allows for the method and means (equipment) to determine stuff like that.
  • Kel VarnsenKel Varnsen Posts: 1,952
    mca47 wrote:
    Let's just say that obtaining a biochemisty degree allows for the method and means (equipment) to determine stuff like that.

    Wow so you independently test all the bottled water you get on your own to make sure it meets your standards? That's interesting. I think a lot of people say they trust bottled water, but reality you have no idea if they actually are purifying the water or if the guy doing the quality control just doesn't bother and says it is pure.
  • mca47mca47 Posts: 13,298
    Wow so you independently test all the bottled water you get on your own to make sure it meets your standards? That's interesting. I think a lot of people say they trust bottled water, but reality you have no idea if they actually are purifying the water or if the guy doing the quality control just doesn't bother and says it is pure.

    I didn't test all of them, just a handful.
    You are right though, the standards set on the sale of water is pretty minimal and I think in a lot of cases tap is just as good and safe as those purchased at the store...but that all depends on where you live and what you are looking for in your water.

    That said, one thing many people forget is the water used in soft drinks, beer, and other beverages is typically from a municiple source and their filtration processes generally aren't as scrutinized as bottled water...though they probably should be.
  • stuckinlinestuckinline Posts: 3,380
    finally a safe way to dispose of unused prescriptions:
    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004137723_medicines22m.html
  • my2hands wrote:
    this is good news... i no longer have to pay for a buzz :cool:


    Rest assured if your brain doesn't catch one, your DNA will...
    Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
    and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
    over specific principles, goals, and policies.

    http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg

    (\__/)
    ( o.O)
    (")_(")
  • mca47 wrote:
    This is seriously messed up!!

    Between this and a recent contamination incident here in Scottsdale, where TCE (Trichloroethylene- a cancer causing chemical) was found in the water supply in certain areas...I'm glad I chose to stop drinking municiple tap water over 7 years ago.

    Yeah, there are some anti-bottled water people out there, but fuck 'em! I'll take my water pure and clean thank you!

    install a 3 stage RO under your sink and save some money...
    Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
    and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
    over specific principles, goals, and policies.

    http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg

    (\__/)
    ( o.O)
    (")_(")
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