Study detects trace levels of pharmaceuticals in U.S. drinking water
SNWA
says. “Yet there are a growing samples; only atrazine, mepA series of news stories by the Asnumber of studies documenting robamate, and phenytoin were sociated Press (AP) on pharmathe effects of these compounds detected in more than half of the ceuticals in drinking water on aquatic and terrestrial wildfinished-water or distributionpublished in the spring of 2008 life,” he adds. “I’m not ready to water samples, the paper notes. stirred up a flurry of concern over say that these are absolutely of no “The paper is a nice step forthe quality of tap water in the concern, because I just don’t ward and provides a very good U.S. The articles detailed the findknow what the long-term effects baseline set of data that will help ings of a reporter-led investigawould be on human tion of tests conducted by health from long-term, drinking-water utilities, low-level exposures to and they prompted a complex mixtures of pharhearing before the U.S. maceuticals and a myriad Senate. Research pubof other compounds that lished in ES&T (DOI has been shown to take 10.1021/es801845a) proplace,” Kolpin says. vides scientific backing to Other scientists menthe statement that trace tioned the unknown effect levels of pharmaceuticals of adding DBPs to this are found in drinking wamixture of drugs, which ter in the U.S., researchers might actually enhance agree. their toxicity. DBPs are The paper also is the formed when chlorine, a first to analyze samples popular disinfectant, is taken from the tap water added to drinking water. A of U.S. homes, says Shane recent paper by the U.S. Snyder, R&D project man- Trace levels of pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds make their way into tap water from drinkingEPA and other researchers ager at the Southern Newater plants. This plant pulls water from Lake Mead, indicates significant levels vada Water Authority which is downstream from a wastewater discharge site, and of DBPs in U.S. drinking (SNWA). The 1-year study provides drinking water for Las Vegas. water. Studies that detect by Snyder and colleagues DBPs show they are found at the regulators and other scientists,” at SNWA’s Applied R&D Center microgram level, which is 1000 says U.S. Geological Survey examines samples from 19 drinktimes higher than the concentra(USGS) research hydrologist Dana ing-water treatment facilities tions reported in the new ES&T Kolpin, project chief of the across the U.S. The samples were manuscript, adds Drewes. USGS’s Emerging Contaminants taken from three sources: source The high profile attained by the in the Environment project. water, finished (or treated) water, AP series caused some concern “I think that the study shows and distribution water that goes among scientists working on this that the concentrations are so from the drinking-water plant area of research. “Although [the minute that you really don’t have through a series of pipes to priAP series] did report on a topic of to worry about pharmaceuticals vate homes and businesses. The emerging interest and concern, it in drinking water, especially when team looked for traces of 51 comincluded some errors,” says Mike compared with levels of regulated pounds, including 20 pharmaceuFocazio, a USGS research hyand unregulated disinfection ticals, and then took the analysis drologist. “At least now people byproducts [DBPs] from finished a step farther than the AP investican make more definitive statewater using chlorination,” says gation by searching for 25 known ments about pharmaceuticals in Jo¨rg Drewes of the Advanced Waor suspected endocrine our nation’s drinking water that ter Technology Center at the disrupters. are based on a peer-reviewed sciColorado School of Mines. The results show that 34 of the entific study,” Kolpin adds. However, other experts are not 51 targeted compounds were deready to concede that these comtected in at least one sample, and —CATHERINE M. COONEY pounds are not harmful. “Current the remaining 17 compounds research suggests pharmaceuticals were not found at all. Eleven in drinking water are not a huge compounds were found in more problem for humans,” Kolpin than half of the source-water
10.1021/es803457y
2009 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 12/17/2008
February 1, 2009 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 9 551
