USA - Drugmakers, water pollution, and another 'don't ask, don't tell' policy

[dutch-marshal]

Drugmakers, water pollution, and another 'don't ask, don't tell' policy

The U.S. federal government has "consistently" overlooked massive amounts of waterway contamination stemming from 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals legally released into waterways, the Associated Press reported today.
According to the news agency's investigation, government and industry officials don't know how many pharmaceutical ingredients – like lithium and nitroglycerin – are released into lakes and rivers that feed into drinking water, because they don't track those chemicals as drugs.
But the AP found that 22 pharmaceutical compounds do show up in EPA and Food and Drug Administration records. Drugmakers and federal regulators both say that the manufacturing of these kinds of chemicals doesn't impact water quality, but according to the story...

...researchers say the lack of required testing amounts to a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy about whether drugmakers are contributing to water pollution.
"It doesn't pass the straight-face test to say pharmaceutical manufacturers are not emitting any of the compounds they're creating," said Kyla Bennett, who spent 10 years as an EPA enforcement officer before becoming an ecologist and environmental attorney.
Pilot studies in the U.S. and abroad are now confirming those doubts.
Last year, the AP reported that trace amounts of a wide range of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in American drinking water supplies. Including recent findings in Dallas, and Maryland's Prince George's and Montgomery counties, pharmaceuticals have been detected in the drinking water of at least 51 million Americans.

Most cities and water providers still do not test. Some scientists say that wherever researchers look, they will find pharma-tainted water.
-Jeremy Gantz

source: http://rawstory.com/blog/2009/04/dru...t-tell-policy/

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thanks for the info, will pass this on

[old hippie 56]

But, they can pinpoint areas of towns where illicit drugs are prevalent by checking sewage water.

[sandoz1943]

I wonder what the fall out will be from this. Sterility, birth defects, cancers and other side effects from drinking this crap. I made a personal choice not to take any perscription meds but I guess I might as well start. Anyone else wonder what ill effects we might start seeing? I can only think of one or two people I know who are not on some sort of perscription drug if not multiple drugs. I wouldn't be suprised to see large numbers of people who cant concive pr have babies born with defects not to mention the increase in the number of people with liver and kidney problems. The drug companies seem to be running the show with little or no oversight. Theres a shit storm a brewing on the horizon.

[old hippie 56]

Since Dallas get most of their water from the Trinity River, imagining the numbers could go higher. That river serves a lot of towns for the source of water. Majority of the bottled drinking water comes from Ft. Worth.