Pharmaceuticals in Water Supplies
Reporters from the Associated Press' National Investigative Team reviewed hundreds of scientific reports, federal databases and environmental studies and interviewed more than 230 officials, academics and scientists and private water suppliers in all 50 states. Following this exhaustive project, it was concluded that a surprising array of pharmaceuticals have been found
in water supplies across the U.S.
Partial Findings:
Following is a partial list of what the Investigative Team uncovered:
* Philadelphia: 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy,mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproductswere found in the city's watersheds.
* Southern California: Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people.
* Northern New Jersey: Drinking water treatment plant, which serves 850,000 people, found a metabolized angina medicine and the mood-stabilizing carbamazepine in drinking water.
* San Francisco: A sex hormone was detected in drinking water.
* Washington D.C.: The drinking water for Washington, D.C., and surrounding
areas tested positive for six pharmaceuticals.
* Tucson AZ: Three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in drinking water supplied to Tucson, Ariz.
It is NOT a Federal Government mandate for municipalities and well owners to test for pharmaceuticals in water nor has the Agencies set any maximum contaminant levels. Of the 62 major water providers contacted by the Investigative Team, the drinking water for only 28 was tested. Among the 34 that haven't: Houston, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, Phoenix, Boston and New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, which delivers water to 9 million people.
Health Risks:
Researchers do not yet understand the exact risks associated with persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, however, some studies uncovered dangerous effects on humans and animals.
To nobody's surprise, the Pharmaceutical Industry had initially gone on record to state that: "Based on what we now know, I would say we find there's little or no risk from pharmaceuticals in the environment to human health," said microbiologist Thomas White, a consultant for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
But at a conference last summer, Mary Buzby - Director of Environmental Technology for drug maker Merck & Co. Inc. - said: "There's no doubt about it, pharmaceuticals are being detected in the environment and there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they're at, could be causing impacts to human health or to aquatic organisms."
The reaction from the Federal Government is: "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.
Removal of contaminants:
Some time will be needed to determine the optimal solution for removal of pharmaceuticals in drinking water due to the need for extensive testing. However, as with removal of other contaminants in water, the more barriers to treatment that are installed, the greater the particulate removal.
Initial studies indicate that some reduction in pharmaceuticals is achieved from Granular Activated Carbon (GAC). The filters built into Jupiter Ionizers, for example, are primarily comprised of GAC, which has been used for decades in water treatment to adsorb many dangerous compounds.
Reverse Osmosis (R/O) treatment was specifically designed to provide a way to remove up to 98% of all dissolved and suspended materials in water. The disadvantage of R/O is the fact that water produced is virtually mineral free and typically highly acidic on the pH scale. Both of those properties in R/O water are not natural for the body. IonLife has a system that incorporates R/O and remineralization before the ionizer. Furthermore, R/O systems can waste between 5 to 20 gallons of water for each gallon of drinking water produced.
Some consumers may see Bottled Water as an alternative, but bottled water can come from sources that are contaminated too and is typically treated with R/O. Bottled water also has disadvantages due to leaching of platicides into the water inside and environmental damage created by manufacturing and disposal of the plastic bottle itself.
In fact, the BioStone filter (used in Jupite Water Ionizers) and the ionization process itself provides increased treatment barriers. The process separates acidic from alkaline ions, which will eliminate some contaminants from your drinking water. Laboratory results on the impact of the Biostone filter and Jupiter Ionizers can be seen here (pdf file).
in water supplies across the U.S.
Partial Findings:
Following is a partial list of what the Investigative Team uncovered:
* Philadelphia: 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy,mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproductswere found in the city's watersheds.
* Southern California: Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people.
* Northern New Jersey: Drinking water treatment plant, which serves 850,000 people, found a metabolized angina medicine and the mood-stabilizing carbamazepine in drinking water.
* San Francisco: A sex hormone was detected in drinking water.
* Washington D.C.: The drinking water for Washington, D.C., and surrounding
areas tested positive for six pharmaceuticals.
* Tucson AZ: Three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in drinking water supplied to Tucson, Ariz.
It is NOT a Federal Government mandate for municipalities and well owners to test for pharmaceuticals in water nor has the Agencies set any maximum contaminant levels. Of the 62 major water providers contacted by the Investigative Team, the drinking water for only 28 was tested. Among the 34 that haven't: Houston, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, Phoenix, Boston and New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, which delivers water to 9 million people.
Health Risks:
Researchers do not yet understand the exact risks associated with persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, however, some studies uncovered dangerous effects on humans and animals.
To nobody's surprise, the Pharmaceutical Industry had initially gone on record to state that: "Based on what we now know, I would say we find there's little or no risk from pharmaceuticals in the environment to human health," said microbiologist Thomas White, a consultant for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
But at a conference last summer, Mary Buzby - Director of Environmental Technology for drug maker Merck & Co. Inc. - said: "There's no doubt about it, pharmaceuticals are being detected in the environment and there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they're at, could be causing impacts to human health or to aquatic organisms."
The reaction from the Federal Government is: "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.
Removal of contaminants:
Some time will be needed to determine the optimal solution for removal of pharmaceuticals in drinking water due to the need for extensive testing. However, as with removal of other contaminants in water, the more barriers to treatment that are installed, the greater the particulate removal.
Initial studies indicate that some reduction in pharmaceuticals is achieved from Granular Activated Carbon (GAC). The filters built into Jupiter Ionizers, for example, are primarily comprised of GAC, which has been used for decades in water treatment to adsorb many dangerous compounds.
Reverse Osmosis (R/O) treatment was specifically designed to provide a way to remove up to 98% of all dissolved and suspended materials in water. The disadvantage of R/O is the fact that water produced is virtually mineral free and typically highly acidic on the pH scale. Both of those properties in R/O water are not natural for the body. IonLife has a system that incorporates R/O and remineralization before the ionizer. Furthermore, R/O systems can waste between 5 to 20 gallons of water for each gallon of drinking water produced.
Some consumers may see Bottled Water as an alternative, but bottled water can come from sources that are contaminated too and is typically treated with R/O. Bottled water also has disadvantages due to leaching of platicides into the water inside and environmental damage created by manufacturing and disposal of the plastic bottle itself.
In fact, the BioStone filter (used in Jupite Water Ionizers) and the ionization process itself provides increased treatment barriers. The process separates acidic from alkaline ions, which will eliminate some contaminants from your drinking water. Laboratory results on the impact of the Biostone filter and Jupiter Ionizers can be seen here (pdf file).
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