This topic is driving me nuts!!!
Today, in one of our trade rags, I learned that Senate Democrats want to investigate this issue of pharmaceuticals in drinking water. TRACE AMOUNTS. We are talking about TRACE AMOUNTS. That's like putting an eyedropper worth of something into the freakin' ocean! (Can you tell how much this topic drives me crazy???)
Senior Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee March 10 announced they will convene a hearing to examine reports that say trace amounts of pharmaceuticals have been detected in drinking water supplies across the United States.
The announcement by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), the committee chair, and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who heads the Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security and Water Quality, comes on the heels of a report by the Associated Press that traces of pharmaceutical drugs have been found in the water systems serving at least 41 million Americans.
The date of the hearing has not been finalized, but will likely occur in early April, the committee said in a statement.
Comments
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/11/pharma.waterfish.ap/index.html?eref=rss_mostpopular
No doubt this is farther reaching just drinking water - afterall, only about 3% of the water on the whole planet is drinking water. We use other water indirectly and humans are severely damaging the environment. What you brought up is a serious concern.
The real issue than becomes wastewater treatment - the water that is being re-released back into the environment. The EPA needs to do more to prevent the illegal dumping of contaminated water into our waterways, streams, and lakes. Penalties need to be higher to not only repair the damage companies and cities do, but also act as a DIS-incentive so that people take the initiative to remedy problems instead of waiting to see if the EPA catches them.