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Where are all the drugs going? | 11 mars 2008

my collegue Alexandra pointed out to me a very interesting article yesterday- its seems that all the drugs we are taking in, and then peeing out are coming back to hunt us. See more on cnn.com

an extract:

(AP) -- A vast array of pharmaceuticals -- including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones -- have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

Officials in Philadelphia say testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water.

To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.

But the presence of so many prescription drugs -- and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen -- in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

Why are we not hearing about this? I remember reading that many species are at risk of extinction because they're changing into exclusively female animals - due to too much estrogen in ground water - that then finds its way to lakes and rivers. Why is there too much estrogen and female hormones in those waters? Because women who have been taking the pill for years also go to the toilet and release all the chemicals that sooner or later find themselves in the groundwater. Why are we worried about this now? Because it might be coming back to hunt us - we dont care about changing nature ... oh no we just dont want too much ibuprofen in our drinking water. (personally I'm not sure it would be a bad thing) And there's a another good reason for drinking bottled water. Maybe these informations go unnoticed because some people do not find them important, perhaps because there is a multibillion dollar trade that could be badly hurt by these news. The Pharmaceutical companies are also known to be important lobbying groups.

" Ask the pharmaceutical industry whether the contamination of water supplies is a problem, and officials will tell you no."

Of course they will, or people might start taking less drugs...

its all down to money.

Publié par Kolka à 10:41:36 dans Miss Kolka | Commentaires (0) | Permaliens