How Do Pharmaceutical Drugs Get in Drinking Water When Taxpayers Support Water Treatment Systems?

Have you ever imagined that it was possible for prescription drugs to come out of your kitchen faucet?  I know it seems hard to believe, but just how do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water when taxpayers support water treatment systems?  When a recent probe finds drugs in drinking water, then it’s time to take this question very seriously.

The funny thing about this issue is that scientists didn't begin studying this problem until it was brought to their attention by an award-winning science project conducted by a West Virginia high school student.  This is how this amazing story unfolded:

1. Ashley Mulroy's student scientific probe finds drugs in drinking water.

2. The EPA and National Geological Survey now want to know how do phramaceutical drugs get into drinking water.

3. Their investigations turn up traces of antibiotics, anti-depressants, birth control drugs and caffeine in numerous water samples taken from across the country.

4. Because this is a relatively new discovery, scientists are unsure about the long-term health effects on humans.

5. Medical experts worry about the development of "super," disease-causing bugs that may be created from drug-infested water supplies.

6. Municipal, tax supported, water treatment systems are not currently equipped to remove pharmaceutical drugs from water supplies.

The majority of our local water treatment facilities are based upon chlorination.  While chlorine is capable of disinfecting certain dangerous bacteria, it can't filter out synthetic substances like pharmaceuticals.  Ironically, just like prescription drugs, chlorine is also a synthetic chemical. With all the water pollution that comes from industrial chemicals, our inadequate water treatment systems desperately need to be updated.  

Ok.  So now we know that prescription drugs are, in fact, present in our water.  But that still doesn't answer the question, "how do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water?"  The answer isn't all that mysterious.  The earth's entire water supply is fixed.  This means that this finite supply gets used over and over and over.  Water flows down our drains from our sinks, tubs and toilets, into our local water treatment systems, carrying whatever substances that we've added from our daily usage...including any drugs that pass through our bodies.

So where does that leave us?  Just because a probe finds drugs in drinking water, and our tax supported water treatment systems can't get rid of them, are we sitting ducks for whatever dangerous effects these substances may or may not produce?

The answer is an emphatic, "NO!"  You can safeguard your family's drinking water from the potential dangers of pharmaceuticals and the majority of chemical toxins by installing an in home water filtration system. 

Reverse osmosis and distillation systems can do the job, but you may find them to be expensive and inconvenient options.  For my money and time, I have found that home water purification systems that use a multi-stage filtration method are the best at providing a clean, healthy, all-purpose water supply.  This means we can drink, cook, bathe and shower, confident in the fact that we're not being exposed to dangerous chemical contaminants...including chlorine.

If a probe finds drugs in drinking water then I think it begs the question, "how do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water when we pay taxes for clean water?"  Until it’s possible to get a satisfactory answer, do you and your family a favor.  Look into finding the best in home water filtration system.