According
to an investigation by the Associated Press, “US manufacturers, including major
drugmakers, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals
into waterways that often provide drinking water.” While we’ve focused a bit on
water treatment—especially in relation to reuse and reclamation—we haven’t spent
much time talking about water quality. Yet, the whole point of water efficiency
and conservation is to protect our water resources. After all, protecting
your water delivery system is one of the most vital aspects of water efficiency.
Securing a community’s water share involves conserving and securing the source.
To make sure your system is safe, you must employ a variety of tactics,
including keeping a close eye on contamination and water quality.
With
that in mind, last year’s report by the Associated Press (AP), which traces
amounts of a wide range of pharmaceuticals—including antibiotics,
anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones—that were found in US
drinking water supplies, triggered alarm… How tainted had our water become? This
week, the news is even grimmer: According to the AP, US
manufacturers—including
major drugmakers—have
“legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways
that often provide drinking water.”
What
does this mean? Predictably, drug manufacturers feel unjustly vilified. They
point out that there is no direct line of culpability when it comes to
pharmaceuticals in our drinking water: After all, lithium can leach out not just
from pills, but from ceramics, and copper can come from pipes as well as
contraceptives. Additionally, according to the AP, federal and industry
officials admit that the extent to which pharmaceuticals are released by US
manufacturers is unknown—due, in large part, because these compounds are not
tracked as drugs. In a written statement, Acting
EPA assistant administrator for water, Mike Shapiro, says, “Pharmaceuticals get
into water in many ways. It's commonly believed the majority comes from human
and animal excretion. A portion also comes from flushing unused drugs down the
toilet or drain."
According
to many researchers, the “drugging” of our waterways has harmed aquatic species,
but according to many scientists—and the EPA—there has been no documented or
confirmed risk to humans who consume traced amounts of these compounds. Of
course, all eyes look to the water purveyor whenever this type of information is
made public. Questions
naturally abound: What can, and should, water utilities do to make sure that the
water resources under their control are not compromised by third-party
activity—be
it a consumer absent-mindedly tossing leftover medication into the toilet, or
industrial and chemical manufacturers failing to employ effective water
treatment protocols?