Drugs in tap water throughout USA, Europe and Asia, and why nobody is doing anything about this.

[milsub5517]

Just wanted to give everyone heads up on this. I have not really heard about this until some data started leaking out. There was a good PBS show awhile ago, they did their own investigation, here im linking AP's investigation.

Pretty much tap water in any city is a cocktail of drugs (PBS quoted that they were able to ID around 200 drugs by sampling tap water in various states and running HPLC/MS on samples) at low concentrations (not always though). Our water treatment systems were designed and built several decades ago and were not meant to do anything about drugs, their metabolites and modified drugs (through chlorination) present in sewage. Water regulations do not regulate drug levels. Officials are simply ignoring the issue.

My concern mainly is long term effect, drinking this "soup" all of your life cant be a good thing, even though they claim that these levels are too low to negatively affect our health. So even if you do not take drugs directly, you are still drinking them....Long term studies are simply not available.

Just some food for thought for those who care.

AP link

[lhooq]

A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice.

That's the way your hard-core commie works.

[Ronin]

I just checked my 'local' water companies reports. In my case they only found 1 part per trillion. 1 ppt is the equivalent of one drop of water in the equivalent of 28 Olympic swimming pools.

That said, I am not worried. Even if I manage to drink that one drop of water. I would be more concerned about the antibiotics, growth hormones, etc, that are being force fed to cows, chickens, pigs and other GMO crap in our food supply.

Knowing where your food/water is coming from is key, and YMMV. Fortunately, my water supply is excellent, and I make sure my food is organic / non-GMO, non-factory farm when possible.

[ChipSlap]

A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice.

That's the way your hard-core commie works.

I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.

[freddy333]

I switched over to filtered water (including for showering) 30 years ago as the issues relating to impurities within municipal drinking water have been known for decades. That said, I doubt there is any danger over the short term. But, long term, consuming these 'impurities' for more than 20 years is likely to have all sorts of consequences & none of them good. But since our air is similarly fouled, 1 can only do so much.

[Jkay]

I just checked my 'local' water companies reports. In my case they only found 1 part per trillion. 1 ppt is the equivalent of one drop of water in the equivalent of 28 Olympic swimming pools.

So about the same amount of medication as is found in homeopathic "cures", then. At least there's no one ringing a "magic bell" over at the water purification plant.

[milsub5517]

Your local water company does not run mass spec analysis on water samples. That 1ppt is routine impurities and solids that they look at. Problem is they dont look at a broad range of chemicals/drugs present in the sewage. Good to hear you are conscious about your food sources!

to Freddy: - thats great! im switching to the RO myself ,I wish i've done this earlier. Do you have a your whole house/flat on RO at the point of entry?

I just checked my 'local' water companies reports. In my case they only found 1 part per trillion. 1 ppt is the equivalent of one drop of water in the equivalent of 28 Olympic swimming pools.

That said, I am not worried. Even if I manage to drink that one drop of water. I would be more concerned about the antibiotics, growth hormones, etc, that are being force fed to cows, chickens, pigs and other GMO crap in our food supply.

Knowing where your food/water is coming from is key, and YMMV. Fortunately, my water supply is excellent, and I make sure my food is organic / non-GMO, non-factory farm when possible.

from the article :

"Troubled by drugs discovered in European waters, poisons expert and biologist Francesco Pomati set up an experiment: He exposed developing human kidney cells to a mixture of 13 drugs at levels mimicking those found in Italian rivers. There were drugs to fight high cholesterol and blood pressure, seizures and depression, pain and infection, and cancer, all in tiny amounts.

The result: The pharmaceutical blend slowed cell growth by up to a third suggesting that scant amounts may exert powerful effects, said Pomati, who works at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

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."

Edited November 3, 2010 by mil_sub

[By-Tor]

But since our air is similarly fouled, water is not the sole source of long-term exposure problems.

You can't survive alive from life.

[Nanuq]

Boy it sounds like you guys need to move to Alaska. We get our water from a well, we eat what we can shoot or catch on a hook, and what we can grow. That, and PLENTY of exercise... yep I expect to live nearly forever.

Barring more bad decisions, that is... you just can't fix stupid.

[freddy333]

to Freddy: Do you have a your whole house/flat on RO at the point of entry?

No. I filter sinks & showers. Ideally, all incoming water should flow through a central reverse osmosis/UV filtration system, but since the problem, as I see it, is not severe, I am not sure that is cost-effective. But if you can rationalize the costs, a centralized system certainly would not hurt.

[Ronin]

Your local water company does not run mass spec analysis on water samples. That 1ppt is routine impurities and solids that they look at. Problem is they dont look at a broad range of chemicals/drugs present in the sewage. Good to hear you are conscious about your food sources!

Actually, this is specifically related to the prescription drug / pharmacology. My local water company has been participating in studies about this exact topic since 2005. I live in perhaps the most health conscience city/state in the US at the moment. (It also helps that most of our water is from the Mountains).

[Bike Mike]

I think the same guys wrote the Chemtrail articles found everywhere on line.

[Jkay]

The problem with reverse osmosis is that the system wastes 5 gallons of water for every 1 gallon processed. Thats how it flushes the membrane clean. It's a great system but soo wasteful.

[milsub5517]

any other options? im all ears.

flushing toilet also wastes lots of water...

The problem with reverse osmosis is that the system wastes 5 gallons of water for every 1 gallon processed. Thats how it flushes the membrane clean. It's a great system but soo wasteful.

[milsub5517]

awesome! glad to hear someone actually cares. i have probably the highest concentration of biotech companies in the country around here and don't even want to think whats in the water supply.

they pointed out in the article a few places with good quality water but unfortunately thats an exception rather than the rule.

Actually, this is specifically related to the prescription drug / pharmacology. My local water company has been participating in studies about this exact topic since 2005. I live in perhaps the most health conscience city/state in the US at the moment. (It also helps that most of our water is from the Mountains).

[milsub5517]

i see. same here, now switching to the RO in the kitchen, we'll see how it goes.

No. I filter sinks & showers. Ideally, all incoming water should flow through a central reverse osmosis/UV filtration system, but since the problem, as I see it, is not severe, I am not sure that is cost-effective. But if you can rationalize the costs, a centralized system certainly would not hurt.

[chronoluvvv]

if ya think that's bad check out http://www.dhmo.org/

[Member X]

The problem with reverse osmosis is that the system wastes 5 gallons of water for every 1 gallon processed. Thats how it flushes the membrane clean. It's a great system but soo wasteful.

Seriously?

I thought it just sucked the crap out and passed the water straight through??

[Jkay]

Seriously?

I thought it just sucked the crap out and passed the water straight through??

As far as I am aware, reverse osmosis systems flush their membranes with clean water, thus using more water than is actually processed and delivered to you.

mil_sub: flushing toilet also wastes lots of water...

Removing potentially deadly pathogens from your home is not what I would call wasteful. Unless you like to keep your byproducts nearby .. you know .. for security reasons. OPE POE