Pharmaceutical Drugs in drinking water

Source : Wikipedia Drugs

About half a year ago in US, it was reported by Associated Press that more than 100 pharmaceutical drugs are found in waters throughout Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe & US. In September 2008, MSNBC stated that 46 millions in US have drugs in their drinking water. Traces of drugs to fight high pressure, cancer, depression, birth control are now finding it’s way to our body. In UK, doctors blame hormones in food and water for some British toddlers showing signs of breast growth. In Japan, traces of drugs in drinking water are reported in 7 states. The contamination is global!

While news are flashing all over world, one might ask, can it actually harm our body? Biologist & poisons expert, Francesco Pomati, concluded that humans could be harmed by ingesting drinking water contaminated with tiny amounts of pharmaceuticals drugs.

How can it be? How do all those drugs get in the water?

It’s when we take medicine, pass motion and flushed into the sewers. Sewage treatment plants don’t remove the drugs. The treated water then flows into lakes, rivers and reservoirs, and finally to drinking water plants, which typically don’t screen for drugs. Since the drugs are found in drinking water, lake, reservoir, the facilities are obviously not doing their jobs. So a number of states in US  have started discouraging pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes and residents from disposing of drugs this way. Like wise, we should follow the suite too.

There are currently no regulations and standards for how much of any pharmaceutical drugs is too much in drinking water. They are major concern about the possible effects on vulnerable groups, toddler, pregnant woman, old or sick. Imagine, having your own son drinking some stranger’s hormone medicine.

Associated Press interestingly stated that one technology, reverse osmosis, removes virtually all pharmaceutical contaminants. In September 08, WQA, the Water Quality Association released a Fact Sheet on pharmaceutical drugs in drinking water. In the article, WQA gave us assurance that home filtering systems can provide best protection for drinking water.

Further reading & source

Health effects and recommended water filtration

Is pure water healthy?

AP probe drugs in drinking water

46 million in U.S. have drugs in drinking water

Few regulation for drugs in drinking water

How medicine in water could impact human cells

Read Full Post »

Girl age 3 hitting puberty

picture : http://www.pbskids.org

GIRLS are starting to hit puberty at the age of THREE.

Shocked doctors blame hormones in food and water for some British toddlers showing signs of breast growth.

Other pre-school youngsters even experience periods that normally start in their teens – and have temper tantrums just like adolescents.

The phenomenon is feared to have become more common since the 1990s – with doctors having to give increasing numbers of tots jabs to keep puberty at bay.

The mum of one girl, who at three was found to have the “bone age” of a nine-year-old, told how she was stunned when her daughter began acting like a ratty teen.

More on The Sun, UK

Further reading

Health effects and recommended water filtration

Pharmaceutical drugs found in drinking water

Read Full Post »

Health effects and recommended water filtration

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a standards for 80 different chemicals on how much each suppose to be allowed in drinking water. However, there are no regulations for thousands of contaminants making way in our drinking water through discharge from a wastewater treatment plant, factory, leaking underground tanks, etc. In UK, drug hormones in water & food are blamed for a shocking early puberty at the age of 3. It is a fact that pharmaceutical drugs past through modern water treatment process and findings its way to our drinking water all over the world. In New Zealand, it was singled out as having elevated nitrate in groundwater. High level of nitrates are associated to “blue baby syndrome”. Nitrates contaminants are harmful to infants and pregnant women.

While it is a cause for concern, a flood of water filters in the market is making it easier to remove impurities from the tap water but how effective it is to virtually remove all chemicals, viruses, etc? Most water filters are able to filter particles and smaller sediments. Is it possible to filter inorganic minerals & contaminants like Sodium, Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Cadmium, Chromium, Lead, Arsenic, Copper, Mercury in its molecular size which is between 0.00011 ~ 0.0003 micron in Radii?

According to Michael R. Long, WQA Certified Water Specialist level VI (the highest certification level), there is no home water treatment system in the world to differentiate the so called “good” minerals such as calcium, magnesium and “bad” minerals such as nitrates, arsenic, lead etc. (source : New Sunday Times, June 1, 2008). Does it mean by drinking mineral water we are also consuming toxic and cancerous contaminants? Try checking with WQA (Water Quality Association) on the type of contaminants your water filter able to remove through NSF 53 certification in http://www.wqa.org/goldseal/detail.cfm?tableDefID=3

Then make a comparison with the list below.

The Water Quality Association (WQA), has a recommended treatment methods list to remove contaminants. Take a look at the list below to see if your home water filters are able to remove inorganic contaminants. Some manufacturers employ different filtration technology by integrating it into one system for effective filtration eg: reverse osmosis & activated carbon.

The Water Quality Association (WQA) is a not-for-profit international trade association representing the residential, commercial, industrial, and small community water treatment industry. WQA maintains a close dialogue with other organizations representing different aspects of the water industry in order to best serve consumers, government officials, and industry members. WQA is a resource and information source, a voice for the industry, an educator for professionals, a laboratory for product testing, and a communicator to the public.

National Primary Drinking Water Standards
Primary (Health Related) Inorganic Contaminants (source : http://www.wqa.org)

Contaminant	WQA Recommended Treatment Methods	Potential Health Effects from Ingestion of Water	Sources of Contaminant in Drinking Water
Antimony	Reverse Osmosis Coagulation/Filtration Submicron Filtration Ultrafiltration Distillation	Increase in blood cholesterol Decrease in blood glucose	Fire retardants Ceramics Electronics Solder Discharge from petroleum refineries
Arsenic (+3)	Reverse Osmosis Chemical Oxidation Distillation Iron Based Media Anion Exchange Activated Alumina	Skin damage Circulatory system problems Increased risk of cancer	Discharge from semiconductor manufacturing Petroleum refining Wood preservatives Animal feed additives Herbicides Erosion of natural deposits
Arsenic (+5)	Coagulation/Filtration Submicron Filtration Anion Exchange Activated Alumina Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis Iron Based Media	See Arsenic (+3) above	See Arsenic (+3) above
Arsenic (organic complexes)	Activated Carbon	See Arsenic (+3) above	See Arsenic (+3) above
Asbestos (fibers > 10µm)	Coagulation/Filtration Submicron Filtration Reverse Osmosis Ultrafiltration Distillation	Increased risk of developing benign intestinal polyps	Asbestos cement in water systems Natural Deposits
Barium	Cation Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Circulatory system effects	Natural deposits Discharge of drilling wastes Discharge from metal refineries
Beryllium	Coagulation/Filtration Submicron Filtration Activated Carbon Activated Alumina Cation Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis Ultrafiltration	Intestinal lesions	Discharge from electrical, aerospace, defense industries Discharge from metal refineries and coal-burning factories
Cadmium	Coagulation/Filtration Submicron Filtration Cation Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Kidney effects	Galvanized pipe corrosion Natural deposits Batteries Paints
Chlorine	Activated Carbon Reverse Osmosis	Cancer	Chemical added to disinfect municipal water
Chromium (+3)	Coagulation/Filtration Cation Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Liver disorders Kidney disorders Circulatory disorders	Natural deposits Steel and pulp mills
Chromium (+6)	Anion Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	See Chromium (+3) above	See Chromium (+3) above
Chromium (organic complexes)	Activated Carbon	See Chromium (+3) above	See Chromium (+3) above
Copper	Cation Exchange (20% – 90%) Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis Corrosion control Polyphosphate/Silicate feed	Gastrointestinal irritation	Natural/industrial deposits Wood preservatives Plumbing
Cyanide	Chemical Oxidation Anion Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Thyroid damage Nervous system damage	Electroplating Steel Plastics Mining Fertilizer
Fluoride	Activated Alumina Bone Char Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Skeletal & dental fluorosis	Natural deposits Fertilizer Aluminum industries Water additive
Lead	Cation Exchange (20% – 90%) Coagulation/Filtration Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Kidney damage Nervous system damage Impedes mental and physical development	Natural/industrial deposits Plumbing Solder Brass alloy faucets
Mercury (organic complexes)	Activated Carbon	Kidney damage	Crop runoff Natural deposits Batteries Electrical switches
Mercury (+2)	Submicron Filtration/ Activated Carbon Cation Exchange (20% – 90%) Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	See Mercury (organic) above	See Mercury (organic) above
Mercury (HgCl3-)	Anion Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	See Mercury (organic) above	See Mercury (organic) above
Nickel	Cation Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Heart damage Liver damage	Metal alloys Electroplating Batteries Chemical production
Nitrate (as nitrogen)	Anion Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Methemo-globulinemia	Animal waste Fertilizer Natural deposits Septic tanks Sewage
Nitrite (as nitrogen)	Chemical Oxidation Anion Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Methemo-globulinemia	Same as nitrate; rapidly converted to nitrate.
Selenium (+4)	Coagulation/Filtration Submicron Filtration/ Activated Carbon Anion Exchange Activated Alumina Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Hair and fingernail loss Circulatory problems	Natural deposits Mining Smelting Coal/Oil combustion
Selenium (+6)	Anion Exchange Activated Alumina Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	See Selenium (+4) above	See Selenium (+4) above
Sulfate	Anion Exchange Reverse Osmosis Distillation Electrodialysis	Diarrhea	Natural deposits

Read Full Post »