Are Pharmaceuticals and Other Drugs Infiltrating U.S. Water?

A recent investigation by the Associated Press and reported by Yahoo! News gives a concerning look at the country’s water supply. The article begins with this provocative sentence: “U.S. manufacturers, including major drugmakers, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways that often provide drinking water—contamination the federal government has consistently overlooked, according to an Associated Press investigation.”

That’s heady stuff—and it should cause U.S. consumers to sit up and take notice, even though it isn’t the first time we’ve heard reports about these types of chemicals in our drinking water.

According to the Yahoo! News article, “Hundreds of active pharmaceutical ingredients are used in a variety of manufacturing, including drugmaking.” Included in this list, according to the article, are such ingredients as lithium, which is used to treat bipolar disorder and also used to make ceramics; nitroglycerin, which is a heart drug and also used to make explosives; and copper, which can be found in pipes and contraceptives.

In addition to these ingredients found in the manufacturing process, consumers are also responsible for a variety of chemicals found in water. The U.S. Geological Survey, in an episode of their CoreCast program, said, “The waste water that we flush, the wash waters that go down our drains, these all have chemicals in them.” Chemicals such as the anti-bacterial soap we use, detergents, the fire-retardants on our clothes, etc. “These chemicals all go down the drain, and they go through waste-water treatment plants,” according to the CoreCast.

An important addendum is that “the waste-water treatments are not really designed to remove those trace-organic chemicals,” according to the CoreCast.

What are consumers to do?

Equipping your house with an effective filtering system can provide you with the most cost-effective and technologically advanced defense against these contaminants. Home filtering systems act as a final contaminant barrier and can further purify drinking water.

Nano-filtration and reverse osmosis systems have shown the most promise in removing harmful chemicals. A variety of systems are available for perusal at WaterFilters.NET.

Tim Malone of WaterFilters.NET, said, “We want to provide consumers with the most beneficial systems at an affordable price. Our reverse osmosis and nano-filtration systems are two of the best defenses against harmful drinking water contaminants.”

For more information on these and other water filter products, visit www.WaterFilters.NET.