Healthy Living
Prescription Drugs Found in Drinking Water
By Karen S. Clickner, N.D., ISIS Holistic Clinic
Apr 21, 2008 - 6:56:35 am

Studies done across the U.S. have shown that many prescription drugs are ending up in the drinking water supply of 41 million Americans, the Associated Press said today. Pharmaceuticals including sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone, modd stabilizers, anti-convulsants, ibuprofen and antibiotics were only some of the chemicals shown to be present during the five month inquiry. Scientists worry about the long-term effects these can have for people drinking water every day with these chemicals present. Is this one of the reasons for the surge in infertility and miscarriages? In our current water treatment environment, no filtration is available nor set up to eliminate these chemicals from our drinking water supply. Recent studies have shown a definate effect from these chemicals on wildlife and human cells. Male fish are being feminized and human blood cells in one study showed biological activity associated with inflammation. This may even account for many people testing positive for drugs when they have never used any.

Testing for these chemicals is not required by law at the present time, and even rural population where water is drunk from private wells are affected. And it isn't just in the U.S. either.  Even Swiss lakes and Canadian bodies of water show similar pharmaceuticals present. Even pet medications have been found reflecting the dramatic increase in prescription drugs for horses, dogs and cats. Last summer, director of environmental technology for drug maker Merck & Co, Inc. said "There's no doubt about it, pharmaceuticals are being detected in the environment and there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they're at, could be causing impacts to human health or to aquatic organisms."

Part of the problem is the volume of prescriptions that end up being flushed down the toilet or end up in landfills. Even the empty bottles have residue that can end up in your back yard. And drugs are getting stronger and stronger in order to bypass the body's own filtration mechanisms, allowing even more of each drug to be eliminated in urine and fecal material. Wastewater treatment plants are simply not equipped to handle this contamination.

The solution... strengthen your liver and kidneys so they can eliminate what you are exposed to with herbs, foods and therapy. Another solution is to get your water from a source that tests their water for such pharmaceutical contaminants. There are also new filters becoming available for home use that can eliminate these chemicals. Small amounts of these drugs absorbed continually over years can cause heightened allergies, multiple chemical sensitivity, infertility and even nerve damage. Hopefully with time, this issue will become important enough to pay attention to.