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Sister Marie

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Contaminated Drinking Water
« on: August 24, 2004, 10:15:00 AM »
Prozac in Drinking Water? Likely So
Water Treatment Plants Not Designed to Get Rid of Medications

By  Jeanie Lerche Davis  

Reviewed By Brunilda  Nazario, MD
on Tuesday, August 10, 2004
WebMD Medical News

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 August 10, 2004 -- Scientists in Great Britain have found levels of a common antidepressant in the water. It begs the question: What about the drinking water in the U.S.? Should we be concerned?

The exact quantity of the antidepressant Prozac -- found in river systems and groundwater used for drinking -- was not specified. However, the British report says that it could be potentially toxic.

Similar problems have been discovered both with prescription and nonprescription drugs in the U.S. and throughout Europe, albeit at low levels. Many have questioned whether even low levels of these medications could affect human health and reproduction.

The First Report

In 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released the first study of pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater-related chemicals in streams across the nation. Most sites were downstream of urban and farming areas where wastewater is known or suspected to enter streams.

The study showed that:

Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater-related chemicals have been detected at very low concentrations in streams across the U.S.
Many of the chemicals examined (81 of 95) do not have drinking-water standards or health advisories. Measured concentrations of compounds that do have standards or criteria rarely exceeded any of them.
Among the chemicals detected were: human and veterinary drugs (including antibiotics), natural and synthetic hormones, detergents, plasticizers, insecticides, and fire retardants.
Some of the compounds most frequently detected include: coprostanol (a fecal steroid), N-N-diethyltoluamide (an insect repellant), caffeine, triclosan (an antimicrobial disinfectant), tri (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (a fire retardant), and 4-nonylphenol (a detergent by-product).
38 chemicals were found in a single water sample.

This week, an update on that report will be released, says Herb Buxton, coordinator of the United States Geological Survey's Toxic Substances Hydrology Program.

The news is not good: "The compounds we use in small amounts can get significantly concentrated because of how we handle wastewater," Buxton tells WebMD. "Our filtration systems aren't built to treat these kinds of chemicals -- organic chemicals. We need more sophisticated technology to filter them."

Most problematic, Buxton says, is whether antibiotics in the environment cause antibiotic resistance. Also, could natural human hormones as well as synthetic hormones (birth control pills, hormone supplements, and estrogen-like compounds such as detergents) affect fertility?

His data will be used by the American Waterworks Association, the EPA, the FDA, and other agencies to address those questions.

What's Being Done?
The main problem is outdated water treatment systems. "There are a bunch of systems out there, they are probably effective to some degree, but they're probably not completely effective," says Ephraim King, JD, director of standards and risk management in the EPA's Office of Water.

"Each city, each town has some kind of treatment system in place," he tells WebMD. "But that system will vary according to the contaminants they're trying to address, and the system's age. ... The filtering systems may not be capable of removing certain chemicals like pharmaceuticals."

Disposal of unwanted medications is part of the problem, King says. "People are well advised not to flush them down the toilet or down a drain. Then it goes through a sewer system and eventually gets back into the environment. Inevitably there's a lot of dilution, but people are well advised not to put it down the toilet in the first place."

The EPA, the National Drinking Water Advisory Council, and the National Academy of Science are assembling a list of potential contaminants to be studied. "We want to be sure we've got as much information as we possibly can on the health risks that may be posed," King tells WebMD.

"The core problem is -- there's nothing really in the design of most treatment plants to take this stuff out," says Robert Morris, MD, PhD, an environmental health consultant and professor at Tufts University. "This is a truly daunting problem. Treatment systems were all initially designed to get rid of bacteria and viruses. They have filters and use chlorine, but that doesn't do a whole lot to get rid of chemical contaminants."

Whether these water contaminants have effects on humans is still an open question, Morris tells WebMD. "The presumption has been that the stuff gets so diluted that it won't cause a problem. Whether or not that's true is another issue. People used to think that about microbes and bacteria, and discovered they were pretty wrong about that."

The effect may vary from town to town. "This stuff is coming out of sewage treatment plants. The [size of] the plant, the amount that's coming out of it, and the size of the river or lake determine the concentration of chemicals in drinking water. So it's going to vary a lot. It may be that specific regions of the country have a worse problem."

So what are the effects over a lifetime -- or during particularly vulnerable stages such as pregnancy? "We don't really know," Morris says. "There's evidence that concentrations coming out of treatment plants have an effect on things living in the water. They're obviously going to get the highest exposure. Whether the lower exposure has an effect on humans, we don't know."

Should We Drink Bottled Water?

Bottled water is "an expensive solution, and it produces a lot of plastic that needs be disposed," Morris says. "I don't see that as an ideal solution."

If a woman is pregnant or trying to get pregnant, that's the time to be most careful -- drink bottled or filtered water, he advises. "That's especially true if your water is coming from a major river system or water source that has a lot of sewage treatment plants going into it. That's where you have to be concerned."

A healthy adult won't likely feel major effects from these drugs, adds Morris. "But boy, I'd like to see us gather more data on this. The list of chemicals being produced is huge. The mixture coming down these waterways contains many, many chemicals. We don't know how they interact. We don't know their total effect. I don't want to scare people. There's no cause for panic. But certainly there is more cause for getting more information."

SOURCES: Herb Buxton, coordinator, U.S. Geological Survey's Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. Robert Morris, MD, PhD, environmental health consultant; and professor, Tufts University. Robert Morris, MD, PhD, environmental health consultant; and professor, Tufts University.


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With Christian Love,
Sister Marie

With Christian Love,
Marie

LindaRS

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #1 on: March 10, 2008, 01:19:52 PM »
AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water

By JEFF DONN, MARTHA MENDOZA and JUSTIN PRITCHARD

Associated Press Writers

10:08 AM CDT, March 10, 2008

A vast array of pharmaceuticals -- including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones -- have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.

But the presence of so many prescription drugs -- and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen -- in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health. source



Tainted drinking water kept under wraps
Many researchers fear public would misunderstand, overreact to disclosure
By MARTHA MENDOZA
The Associated Press
updated 1:10 p.m. ET, Mon., March. 10, 2008

When water providers find pharmaceuticals in drinking water, they rarely tell the public. When researchers make the same discoveries, they usually don’t identify the cities involved.

There are plenty of reasons offered for the secrecy: concerns about national security, fears of panic, a feeling that the public will not understand — even confidentiality agreements.

“That’s a really sensitive subject,” said Elaine Archibald, executive director of California Urban Water Agencies, an 11-member organization comprised of the largest water providers in California.

She said many customers “don’t know how to interpret the information. They hear something has been detected in source water and drinking water, and that’s cause for alarm — just because it’s there.”

As The Associated Press documented in a five-month investigation, drinking water provided to at least 41 million people living in 24 major metropolitan areas has tested positive for trace amounts of pharmaceuticals.  source
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Richard Myers

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #2 on: March 10, 2008, 06:35:59 PM »
After finding the best source of drinking water, it then needs to be put through a reverse osmosis purifier. We have been doing this for over 20 years and do not live in a metropolitan area.  Water used for cooking needs the same care. Boiling does not remove all of the impurities.
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Lewis

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2009, 07:23:52 AM »
ATLANTA - Traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel were found in samples of powdered baby formula, and could exceed what's considered a safe dose for adults if mixed with water also contaminated with the ingredient, a government study has found.



The chemical has turned up in several cities' drinking water supplies. It can occur naturally, but most perchlorate contamination has been tied to defense and aerospace sites.

No tests have ever shown the chemical caused health problems, but scientists have said significant amounts of perchlorate can affect thyroid function. The thyroid helps set the body's metabolism. Thyroid problems can impact fetal and infant brain development.

Source

Mimi

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2009, 07:58:06 AM »
Quote
The study itself sheds little light on how dangerous the perchlorate in baby formula is. "This wasn't a study of health effects," said Dr. Joshua Schier, one of the authors.

The largest amounts of the chemical were in formulas derived from cow's milk, the study said.
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Vicki

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2009, 06:56:05 PM »
ATLANTA - Traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel were found in samples of powdered baby formula, and could exceed what's considered a safe dose for adults if mixed with water also contaminated with the ingredient, a government study has found.



The chemical has turned up in several cities' drinking water supplies. It can occur naturally, but most perchlorate contamination has been tied to defense and aerospace sites.

No tests have ever shown the chemical caused health problems, but scientists have said significant amounts of perchlorate can affect thyroid function. The thyroid helps set the body's metabolism. Thyroid problems can impact fetal and infant brain development.

Source

I find it ridiculous that any level of rocket fuel chemicals are considered safe for anyone.

Richard Sherwin

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2009, 07:11:27 PM »
Interesting that rocket fuel can occur naturally in drinking water. Strange.
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Richard Myers

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #7 on: April 06, 2009, 11:17:09 PM »
I was told that a Sacramento company that manufactured rocket engines pumped this toxic substance into wells on their property.  I believe it is quite a mess.
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Richard Myers

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2012, 10:38:36 PM »
CDC issues warning on tap water.  A brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri is common in warm rivers and lakes. Using tap water for a nasal wash can be dangerous. The amoeba can travel up the nose to the brain and usually is deadly.
CDC
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Dorine

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2012, 01:11:55 PM »
I am hearing much about alkaline water being the best for us to drink. Does anyone have any information on this and does anyone have the equipment for making alkaline water. I know that Mrs. White says we should be drinking and using soft water. Where does one get that? Even the rain water can be acid with all the pollution that's in the environment.
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colporteur

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2012, 03:21:10 PM »
I am hearing much about alkaline water being the best for us to drink. Does anyone have any information on this and does anyone have the equipment for making alkaline water. I know that Mrs. White says we should be drinking and using soft water. Where does one get that? Even the rain water can be acid with all the pollution that's in the environment.

I had a Japanese Alkaline water maker but it was not cheap. I purchased it at cost 15 years ago and it was $700 then. Perhaps they are cheaper now.
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colporteur

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2012, 03:53:55 PM »
If you google "water alkalizer" you will find that they run from $500-$2000. No doubt they are over priced as they are not that complicated with metal plates and an electric current that ionizes and alkalizes the water. I would be tempted to test my water with ph paper first and see how acid it is. I just tested our filtered water and it tests 6. That is a bit acid. Even so, My saliva tests 8 with 7 being neutral. I drank six glasses of fruit and veggie juice today. Other wise I still test at 7-7.5 so I am not too conerned about my water being a little acid.  I suspect alkaline water is more important when do to an acid diet it is more necessary. Probably a water alkalizer is a good investment as it is hard to be too alkaline and the alkalizer will help counter an acid system due to stress and other factors. I hear alot of good about distilled water however I just tested our store bought distilled and it tested 5.5. Even so, my children and I test 7.4- 8 while drinking water at 6 but then again we are juicing, eating a fair amount of raw, and exercising etc., etc..
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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2012, 09:00:22 PM »
I know that Mrs. White says we should be drinking and using soft water. Where does one get that? Even the rain water can be acid with all the pollution that's in the environment.

As I recall she said that we need "pure soft water."  Minerals in the water make it hard. Many things can contaminate water. We quit drinking tap water 30 years ago. Reverse osmosis will do a pretty good job of purifying most water. It takes out most of the dissolved solids. Most systems have charcoal pre and post filters that help to remove some of the gasses that may be in the water.  The RO filter last quite awhile, but the charcoal filters need to be replaced more often depending on what is in your water.

Some distillers can make your water worse. Sad, but true. I had one and began to theorize what was happening and set the machine aside and never used it again. You have to get a very expensive machine to purify water with a distiller in many areas where the water is not clean. RO machines cost a couple of hundred dollars and don't require energy to power them. The waste water can be used in the garden.
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Wally

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #13 on: October 11, 2012, 03:06:51 AM »
As is true with most things promoted by the media, there is usually more hype than substance to these claims.  One of our former workers is pushing Kangen Water.  It's alkaline water that is supposed to cure nearly everything (and the apparatus to produce it is very expenseive).  Snake Oil by any other name . . . .  Common sense goes a long ways.  If one has town water, get a filter to remove chlorine and whatever else shouldn't be there.  If one has spring or well water, test it and see if it has anything harmful (e coli, arsenic, etc.).  Filter as necessary.  Otherwise drink up and enjoy.
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10

Dorine

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Re: Contaminated Drinking Water
« Reply #14 on: October 12, 2012, 12:33:42 PM »
We have a drilled well that is tested every year for bacteria but it has minerals in it. The water comes right up through the granite rocks. But it is far more alkaline than distilled. The only soft water we had many years ago was from a dug well but we had problems with the bacteria count. It seems the deeper you go the less bacteria you have but the water is harder.  :-\
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press  toward the mark. Phil. 3:13,14