My mother always used to joke that there was "something in the water" when she saw a lot of people pregnant at the same time. Turns out she may not be that far from the truth.
An AP investigation has shown that traces of pharmaceuticals are in the water supply of at least 24 major United States regions. Let's take a closer look at that: 24 MAJOR U.S. REGIONS HAVE THEM - and that does not include the water supplies that aren't tested or whose water companies wouldn't share the information due to "security concerns" in this post-9/11 era.
Pardon me while I get the willies.
I found this mildly - albeit incredibly mildly - encouraging:
"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.
I also found this encouraging:
One technology, reverse osmosis, removes virtually all pharmaceutical contaminants but is very expensive for large-scale use and leaves several gallons of polluted water for every one that is made drinkable.
Considering two of my planned big-ticket home improvement ideas when we get a house again are a reverse osmosis filtration system and an on-demand water heater, this is a little bit helpful.
However, on the discouraging sides are these snippets:
Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don't necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry's main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems.
In other words, don't think your Brita filter is saving you or the kiddies from the hormones, antibiotics, mood stabilizers and other crud that could be in your municipality's water - or even your well. I already knew that the Brita doesn't filter out lead, though I've heard that the Pur system does - but I doubt it filters out pharmaceutical particles.
You know what pisses me off the most about this whole thing? Attitudes like this:
The New York state health department and the USGS tested the source of the city's water, upstate. They found trace concentrations of heart medicine, infection fighters, estrogen, anti-convulsants, a mood stabilizer and a tranquilizer.
City water officials declined repeated requests for an interview. In a statement, they insisted that "New York City's drinking water continues to meet all federal and state regulations regarding drinking water quality in the watershed and the distribution system" — regulations that do not address trace pharmaceuticals.
I am SICK AND TIRED of people (politicos, civil servants, toy manufacturers, etc) saying they meet the federal and state standards for something - when they know FULL WELL that there is NO STANDARD at this time or that the standard is still unsafe!!!!!!!
*deep breaths, deep breaths*
Okay, so the question before us now is what steps can we take at this point to try to protect ourselves and our water supply?
Here's what I've come up with this morning:
- Ask your municipality's water company to test for pharmaceuticals. If you are a renter whose utilities are included in your rent, you can still request this - both on your own and via your landlord. (Your rent pays that water bill!) The more companies realize that customers are aware of this finding, the more likely they are to test for, and try to filter, pharmaceuticals from their water systems. Granted it will take time, but if nobody cares about it, they aren't going to start trying at all!
- If you own your home, consider installing a reverse osmosis filtration system. They are available on whole-house and individual pipeline projects. If a whole-house system is outside of your budget, consider installing one under the kitchen sink. That way your cooking and drinking water will be a bit safer.
- If you are a renter, ask your landlord to retrofit your home or apartment with a reverse osmosis system; again, ask for a kitchen system if a whole-house is unacceptable. If they still say no, ask if you can install a kitchen system on your own. That way if you move, you can repair anything that was changed and take the system with you.
- If you are taking medication of ANY sort and have extras or it doesn't work for you, dispose of it properly. If you have an over-the-counter medication that just doesn't do the job, ask friends and family if they need it. Don't flush Sudafed just because Allavert works better for you. Pass it on to someone who can use it or ask a pharmacist how to dispose of it properly. DO NOT FLUSH MEDICATIONS; DO NOT POUR LIQUID MEDICATIONS DOWN THE DRAIN.
- If you are taking a prescription drug and your doctor changes your Rx or you no longer need it (for pain relief after a surgery, for instance), ask your pharmacist to properly dispose of, or re-use, it. In some cases, pharmacies have a program where they will take back unused medications and redistribute them through programs to low income patients or in other countries.
- ANTIBIOTICS: these deserve a category of their own, frankly. If you go to the doctor, don't immediately demand an antibiotic for whatever ails you. Some doctors will take the time to say NO and explain that overuse of antibiotics is exactly what has caused so much antibiotic-resistance in organisms. (MRSA, anyone?) Other doctors will write you a 'scrip just to shut you up. DON'T encourage this! Ask about other options, particularly if you are seeking treatment for a child. Just because you hear the words "ear infection" doesn't mean you HAVE to give the child antibiotics. My daughter is proof of this; her doctor was very open to my efforts to not over-medicate because she had personally lost a young patient to spinal meningitis due to antibiotic resistance. She gave me a "wait and see" Rx for my daughter and ultimately we didn't need the drugs. The fewer antibiotics you take, the lower your chances of developing something resistant - the worst habit people have is to stop taking antibiotics when they feel better, instead of taking ALL the pills as prescribed.
- If you must take antibiotics, take them ALL, as prescribed. Don't stop taking them after a day or two just because you feel better or don't like the smell of the pills. By taking them all you'll lower the chances of encouraging the growth of "superbugs" in your body (or your child's) and you won't have pure medicine to dispose of - in other words, you'll be flushing what your body didn't use, but at least your kidneys will have filtered it a bit more. Nasty, I know, but when it comes to water, every bit of filtration we can provide may buy us more time while the Big Boys figure out what the heck to do about this situation.
Those are the ideas I've come up with; do you have any to add? I'm sure there are more ways to combat this until the water companies can - and do - do something about it.
(C) 2008, Melonie Kennedy. Reprinted with permission.
Please note research has shown NO HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS for the minute amounts of these substances (at the part per trillion) found in drinking water. This is why they are not regulated.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 12, 2008 4:25 PM | Permalink to Comment