What’s lurking in your drinking water? According to a recent study, we’re all imbibing low levels of pharmaceuticals and hormonally active chemicals every time we use water from our taps. The Southern Nevada Authority in Las Vegas screened tap water from 19 US water utilities for 51 different compounds between 2006 and 2007, and gave us the lowdown on the 11 most frequently detected compounds.
From New Scientist:
• Atenolol, a beta-blocker used to treat cardiovascular disease
• Atrazine, an organic herbicide banned in the European Union, but still used in the US, which has been implicated in the decline of fish stocks and in changes in animal behaviour
• Carbamazepine, a mood-stabilising drug used to treat bipolar disorder, amongst other things
• Estrone, an oestrogen hormone secreted by the ovaries and blamed for causing gender-bending changes in fish
• Gemfibrozil, an anti-cholesterol drug
• Meprobamate, a tranquiliser widely used in psychiatric treatment
• Naproxen, a painkiller and anti-inflammatory linked to increases in asthma incidence
• Phenytoin, an anticonvulsant that has been used to treat epilepsy
• Sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic used against the Streptococcus bacteria, which is responsible for tonsillitis and other diseases
• TCEP, a reducing agent used in molecular biology
• Trimethoprim, another antibiotic
Shane Snyder of the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Christian Daughton of the EPA’s National Exposure Research Laboratory say that these compounds don’t pose a significant public health threat because they’re found in concentrations that are millions of times lower than in a medical dose. Still, several point to potential for risk, says Daughton, especially for the fetus and those with severely compromised health.
It seems inevitable that a slow buildup of such compounds in our bodies over time would cause some problems, however. Daughton emphasizes that the presence of such pharmaceuticals in our drinking water and in the environment should make us acutely aware of the chemical sea that surrounds us. We’re exposed to unprecedented levels of chemicals that may ultimately have profound effects on the entire planet.
Snyder tells us that “contamination is a fact of modern life”, but that doesn’t mean we should continue to allow these compounds to build up in our drinking water. The US government doesn’t even regulate the presence of pharmaceuticals and other compounds in our water, and it’s hard to trust an agency that has allowed safety issues to go unchecked in the past.
Link [New Scientist]
Photo credit: Flickr user aka Kath
