Pharmaceuticals are in the Drinking Water:
What Does It Mean?
Traces of many pharmaceuticals are entering the drinking water of numerous American cities, according to a body of scientific research that has accumulated over the past decade. At current levels, pharmaceutical residues are unlikely to pose an immediate risk to human health, but the long-term consequences of individual chemicals, and combinations of chemicals, are unknown.
Earlier this year, a highly-publicized, five-month investigation by the Associated Press brought renewed attention to this issue. A new report by The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) provides a context for the concerns, describing the extent of the contamination; the nature of the health risks that could emerge; and action steps to consider.
Among the report's findings:
- In a "national reconnaissance," the U.S. Geological Survey looked for 95 different organic wastewater contaminants - including antibiotics, hypertensive and cholesterol-lowering drugs, antidepressants, analgesics, steroids, and reproductive hormones - in surface water. It found at least one contaminant in 80 percent of the water samples taken from 139 streams in 30 states.
- Pharmaceutical residue has been identified in the drinking water of at least 25 major metropolitan areas, according to the Associated Press's review of scientific studies and government databases.
- Concern about the human health effects of pharmaceuticals reflects, in part, the recognition that they are deliberately designed to interact with the body at low concentrations in order to have a biological impact. In particular, hormones and other chemicals that act by signaling and stimulating cell changes can have effects at low levels.
- Evidence of an impact on the ecosystem is already apparent - published studies have identified endocrine disruptions, reproductive effects, and renal deterioration in fish, among other damage.
As emerging contaminants, pharmaceuticals in the drinking water are basically unregulated - no standards define a level that is acceptable and there are no federal mandates for testing. As further regulatory action is considered, more research about possible short-term and long-term health effects is clearly appropriate. Other possible action steps include:
- More public education to encourage consumers and health care providers to dispose of medications properly.
- Changing the way the FDA requires pharmaceutical companies to assess the environmental impact of their drugs.
- Altering agricultural practices that release antibiotics and steroids into the water supply.
- An emphasis on controlling discharges of contaminated water at the source, rather than treatment at the point of use, in order to protect the environment and reduce the burden on water treatment facilities.
- Giving consideration to the more aggressive regulatory approaches used in the European Union to control contamination.
- Greater public investment in drinking and wastewater infrastructure.
For more information on pharmaceuticals in the drinking water, contact:
Tee L. Guidotti, MD, MPH
Chair, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health
2100 M St., NW, Suite 203
School of Public Health and Health Services
The George Washington University
Washington, D.C. 200052
(202) 994-1734
E-mail: eohtlg@gwu.edu
About The George Washington University Medical Center
The George Washington University Medical Center is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary academic health center that has consistently provided high-quality medical care in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for 176 years. The Medical Center comprises the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the 11th oldest medical school in the country; the School of Public Health and Health Services, the only such school in the nation's capital; GW Hospital, jointly owned and operated by a partnership between The George Washington University and a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc.; and the GW Medical Faculty Associates, an independent faculty practice plan. For more information on GWUMC, visit www.gwumc.edu.
