Pharamceuticals in the drinking water

In a recent article by the AP, US companies have dropped 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals in the water of the United States. They do this legally. Of the compounds released, 22 are classified as industrial chemicals by the EPA, while the FDA classifies them as active Pharma ingredients. This number may be off as well, because the federal government has limited tracking on these chemicals.

Last year, the AP reported that trace amounts of a wide range of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in American drinking water supplies. Including recent findings in Dallas, Cleveland and Maryland's Prince George's and Montgomery counties, pharmaceuticals have been detected in the drinking water of at least 51 million Americans.

Trace amounts of drugs in the drinking water been shown to harm fish, frogs and other aquatic animals. Human cells in laboratories have also failed to grow properly after being exposed to small amounts of pharmaceuticals.

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