(NADD)
| Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) |
| Background: Regulatory
agencies at all levels of government are realizing that
pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine
disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in surface and drinking water are of
concern. PPCPs and EDCs are being found in rivers, lakes, and
groundwater, all which serve as sources of drinking water, and
even in treated drinking water. What are PPCPs and EDCs? PPCPs include over-the-counter (OTC) medications, prescription medications, dietary supplements, hormones, cleaning agents (especially antibacterial cleaners), and the inert ingredients that are associated with these products (which can be just as harmful, if not more so, than the active ingredients themselves). More ….. |
| PPCPs IN THE NEWS |
| WATER POLLUTION: Pharmaceutical
residues found in fish tissues - March 2009 Pharmaceutical residues have been found in fish caught near wastewater treatment plants in five major U.S. cities, researchers reported today. More ….. |
| FRONTLINE EXAMINES NEWEST HEALTH HAZARDS IN NATION’S
CONTAMINATED WATERWAYS
- April 2009 More ... |
| WATER POLLUTION: Study links estrogen
exposure to fish kills, disease - June 2009 Exposure to estrogen puts fish at greater risk of disease and premature death, according to a new federal study. The U.S. Geological Survey study showed that estrogen exposure reduces a fish's ability to produce proteins that help it ward off disease and pointed to a possible link between the occurrence of intersex fish and recent fish kills in the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. More ….. |
| Pollution experts: Save fish from drugs
in water - June 2009 Pollution experts on Tuesday pressed a congressional panel for stronger action to keep pharmaceuticals and other contaminants out of the water, saying they are hurting fish and may threaten human health. More ….. |
| CHEMICALS: Group calls for curbing
endocrine disrupters - June 2009 Hormone-disrupting chemicals pose a threat to public health, so policymakers and scientists should work to improve their understanding of the compounds' connection to health problems, a scientific organization said yesterday. The Endocrine Society said there is enough scientific evidence to warrant reducing public exposure to endocrine disrupters. More ….. |
| Associated Press Articles—March 2008 An Associated Press investigation shows that a vast array of pharmaceuticals have been found in drinking water supplies. To read the associated press articles, please go to: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/10/pharma.water1/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/11/pharma.waterfish.ap/index.html The Brickstone project will place far more PPCPs into the drinking water of the homes surrounding the project than is found in houses on municipal water. This is due to the density of the project, the amount of pharmaceuticals consumed by the elderly residents, the nature of the terrain (a granite hill with shallow topsoil), and the proximity of private drinking water wells. However serious PPCP contamination may be in public drinking water supplies, it is far more serious for those on private drinking water wells living near the Brickstone project. It is becoming more and more apparent that Sharon has voted to contaminate the drinking water supplies of hundreds of people. More ….. |
| Channel 5 investigation—April 2008
Channel 5 Investigates drugs in our drinking water. See the 4 minute video of the news report and learn about the drugs in our drinking water that the federal government is not currently doing anything about. Think about the ramifications of the cocktail of drugs Brickstone will place in the drinking water supply in the area. http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/16028579/index.html |
| Feds Not Addressing Drugs in Water
— AP April 2008 WASHINGTON - A White House task force that was supposed to devise a federal plan to research the issue of pharmaceuticals in drinking water has missed its deadline and failed to produce mandated reports and recommendations for coordination among numerous federal agencies, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. More than 70 pages of the task force's documents, including e-mails and weekly reports, were released under the Freedom of Information Act as a Senate subcommittee prepares to convene a hearing Tuesday prompted by an AP investigation about trace concentrations of drugs in America's drinking water. More ….. |
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What's Coming From Your Tap? — The Wall Street
Journal August 2008 America's latest drinking problem isn't about alcohol. Concerned about the cost of bottled water -- and its environmental consequences -- many people are turning back to tap water to quench their thirst. But as evidence mounts of contaminants in public systems, unease about the water supply is growing. Engineers say that U.S. water quality is among the world's best and is regulated by some of the most stringent standards. But as detection technology improves, utilities are finding more contaminants in water systems. Earlier this year, media reports of trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in water across the country drew attention from U.S. senators and environmental groups, who are now pushing for regulation of these substances in water systems. Of particular concern, experts say, are endocrine-disrupting compounds -- found in birth-control pills, mood-stabilizers and other drugs -- which are linked to birth defects in wildlife. Also alarming are antibiotics, which if present in water systems, even in small amounts, could contribute to the rise of drug-resistant strains of bacteria, or so-called super bugs. Many pharmaceuticals taken by humans are excreted into urine, or are flushed intentionally down the toilet. Even though wastewater is treated, trace amounts of the drugs are often not eliminated. Also, drugs found in the waste of animals treated with hormones and antibiotics can eventually end up in groundwater More ….. |