Holy Cow - Prescription Drugs in Drinking Water

I like to drink a cold beer every now and again but that is as far as it goes. But when I heard the story about prescription drugs in drinking water and that via a glass of water, I could be ingesting a whole host of pills it shook my very foundation.

I don't suffer from depression; don't have a hormone problem, don't have cancer (thank God) nor do I have some infection that requires antibiotics. Yet recent studies and probes have found antidepressants, sex hormone pills, chemotherapy and antibiotic drugs in the drinking water. What gives?

How Drugs Get In Our Water Supply

Of all the probes done about medication in the water supply, the one that got the most media attention was the 5 month Associated Press study of 24 large U.S metropolitan cities. In those cities, atotal population of 41 million people, they found a variety of medication in the water supply.

A Lot Of Unknowns?

The EPA by their own admission says that they are trying to come to grips with the matter. They have not set up a national policy guideline for the various water authorities to follow. These guidelines affect both rate of detection of removal of drugs in the water.

You see, the EPA comes up with what is called the MCL, the maximum contaminant level. The MCL tells water providers how much of a particular contaminant can remain in tap water and still be considered safe.

MCLs are necessary because it would be both very costly and impractical to remove 100% of every contaminant from tap water.

But The EPA has no MCL for prescription drugs in drinking water and therefore no knowledge of what amounts can be considered safe or unsafe.

Ignorance Is Not Bliss.

Many water providers contend that their tap water is safe. The pharmaceuticals found are only in trace amounts, too little to do any harm.

But many scientists are not so sure about the long term effects. Taking trace amounts if drugs over time, could lead to serious illness. We all must drink water, therefore the risks might be unavoidable.

Water Filtration - A Solution

Since no one knows the risks of drugs in the drinking water, isn't it better to err on the side of caution and take steps to eliminate as much of this contaminant as possible. To this end, home water filtration is your answer.

Getting a home reverse osmosis system will help to reduce pharmaceuticals in your tap water but it can be costly to buy and maintain.

Furthermore, reverse osmosis cannot remove drug contaminants which are molecularly smaller than water. What is better is a carbon filter which can effectively remove very tiny drug contaminants plus other synthetic chemicals.

The trick is to find not only a quality carbon filtration system but also a reputable supplier. This is easier said than done if you don't know where to look. Doing some research online and conducting your due diligence would help in locating a quality carbon filter.

The long term health of your family, really depends on your actions today