Tainted Water

(Originally posted on waterefficiency.net)

By Elizabeth Cutright
Editor
Water Efficiency

According to an investigation by the Associated Press, “US manufacturers, including major drugmakers, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways that often provide drinking water.” While we’ve focused a bit on water treatment—especially in relation to reuse and reclamation—we haven’t spent much time talking about water quality. Yet, the whole point of water efficiency and conservation is to protect our water resources. After all, protecting your water delivery system is one of the most vital aspects of water efficiency. Securing a community’s water share involves conserving and securing the source. To make sure your system is safe, you must employ a variety of tactics, including keeping a close eye on contamination and water quality.
With that in mind, last year’s report by the Associated Press (AP), which traces amounts of a wide range of pharmaceuticals—including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones—that were found in US drinking water supplies, triggered alarm… How tainted had our water become? This week, the news is even grimmer: According to the AP, US manufacturers—including major drugmakers—have “legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways that often provide drinking water.”
What does this mean? Predictably, drug manufacturers feel unjustly vilified. They point out that there is no direct line of culpability when it comes to pharmaceuticals in our drinking water: After all, lithium can leach out not just from pills, but from ceramics, and copper can come from pipes as well as contraceptives. Additionally, according to the AP, federal and industry officials admit that the extent to which pharmaceuticals are released by US manufacturers is unknown—due, in large part, because these compounds are not tracked as drugs. In a written statement, Acting EPA assistant administrator for water, Mike Shapiro, says, “Pharmaceuticals get into water in many ways. It's commonly believed the majority comes from human and animal excretion. A portion also comes from flushing unused drugs down the toilet or drain."
According to many researchers, the “drugging” of our waterways has harmed aquatic species, but according to many scientists—and the EPA—there has been no documented or confirmed risk to humans who consume traced amounts of these compounds. Of course, all eyes look to the water purveyor whenever this type of information is made public. Questions naturally abound: What can, and should, water utilities do to make sure that the water resources under their control are not compromised by third-party activity—be it a consumer absent-mindedly tossing leftover medication into the toilet, or industrial and chemical manufacturers failing to employ effective water treatment protocols?