AP probe finds “vast array of pharmaceuticals” in drinking water supplies. General Ripper concerned about precious bodily fluids.

 

It’s not a remake of the movie Dr Strangelove, but an Associated Press probe finds contamination in the drinking water of 41 million Americans in 24 metropolitan areas. The contamination includes amongst other things; anti-anxiety drugs, mood-stabilizing drugs, sex hormones, anti-convulsants and tranquilizers. But it's neither a conspiracy nor anything to find alarming.

“Have you ever seen a commie drink a glass of water? Vodka. That’s what they drink, isn’t it? Never water.”

Well the inability to biodegrade and/or the continuous release of pharmaceuticals being flushed out of our own systems into the water table may mean that General Ripper's paranoia was at least partially tangible. When we ingest medications, a portion of the medication is left to be excreted. Surprisingly, the portion of orally ingested medications released in our excrement is around 90 percent. Many of these drugs are not filtered out during processing at sewage treatment facilities and go straight into the drinking water system, measuring in extremely small quantities, either parts per billion, or parts per trillion. There are currently no Federal regulations prohibiting their presence, nor establishing acceptable concentrations.

"Water. Mandrake, water is the source of all life. Seven tenths of this earth's surface is water. Why, you realize that seventy percent of you is water. And as human beings, you and I need fresh, pure water to replenish our precious bodily fluids."

The United States retail pharmaceutical market is approximately one half of the global market. With Americans seeking antibiotics for anything more than a sniffle it's of little wonder that a large amount of antibiotics are entering the United States water supplies especially. 

"It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual, and certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard core commie works." 

So is there any impact? Some studies noticed a rise of bacteria resistant to antibiotics within fish due to a constant release of pharmaceutical estrogens, some studies show antidepressants cause premature spawning in shellfish and heart medication release preventing fish from healing damaged fins. There have been no widespread studies, however, of the impact on wildlife or of human re-ingestion.

"Well, I ah, I I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love. Yes a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I was able to interpret these feelings correctly: loss of essence." 

The use of more advanced filtration methods could be effective at removal of these pharmaceuticals before we re-consume the water. Methods such as ozonation, ultraviolet light, membrane filtration, granular activated carbon, nano-filtration and reverse osmosis have been found to be much more effective than chlorination. 

"Women... women sense my power, and they seek the life essence. I do not avoid women, Mandrake, but I do deny them my essence." 

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Sources:
"AP probe finds drugs in drinking water", Yahoo! News, 09 MAR 2008
"Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water Supplies", WC&P, 23 JUN, 2003