Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Contaminated Water

As many of you may have heard, studies were released in the last week finding that many of the major metropolitan cities in the U.S. are drinking water containing pharmaceuticals. 24 cities were found to have one or more drugs present in the water supply, contaminating water for more than 41 million Americans. This is a devastating finding because we're just not sure how the drugs are finding their way into the water. It's ironic that all of the prescription drugs we take to make us healthy are seeping into the water supply and potentially making us sick.

Scientists have also studied the animals living in or drinking the water that’s affected. Fish were affected the most, with some showing stunted growth or even deformities. While many of the cities affected had only one prescription drug present, Philadelphia was the clear winner (or loser in this case) with a whopping 56 different drugs present. It’s unclear whether in-home filtration systems are helping to clean the water. While many people’s natural inclination may be to invest in bottled water, remember, last month studies showed links with plastic and cancer. Unfortunately, that's not a safe route for those citizens affected. The only way to overcome adversity is to stay informed. If you live near one of the major areas affected by the water supply, stay up to date with what local officials are recommend citizens do.

No comments: