(NADD)
Other PPCPs found in water include:
Sulfamethoxazole – antibiotic
Codeine – painkiller
Cotinine – metabolite of nicotine
Trimethoprim – antibiotic
Dehydronifedipine – metabolite of hypertension and angina med
Diltiazem – high blood pressure and angina
Acetaminophen – OTC pain killer
Ranitidine – peptic ulcer and reflux
Caffeine – found in some painkillers
Diphenhydramine – benadryl – antihistamine
Carbamazepine - anticonvulsant and mood stabilizing drug, used primarily in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder
Cimetidine – ulcer medication
Metformin – anti –diabetic drug Erythromycin – antibiotic
Thiabendazole – fungicide and parasiticide (used primarily for roundworm treatment)
Atenolol – a beta-blocker used to treat cardiovascular disease
Although we do not yet know all of the effects of PPCPs and EDCs on humans, we do know that chronic exposure (low levels of compounds over a long period of time) is of great concern. This is particularly true for children in utero, young children, elderly, and people with compromised immune systems.
How far will the contaminants travel? It is impossible to predict how far the PPCPs and EDCs discharged from the proposed Brickstone facility will travel. However, a study in Massachusetts found that acetaminophen, carbamazepine, and sulfamethoxazole detected in a wastewater plume one mile away from the source (see Zimmerman, M.J., 2005, Occurrence of Organic Wastewater Contaminants, Pharmaceuticals, and Personal Care Products in Selected Water Supplies, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, June 2004, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1206, (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1206).
The geology of Rattlesnake Hill will likely contribute to the distance the contaminants travel as well. There is a lot of ledge in the area, and wastewater and contaminants can travel long distances fairly quickly through this type of substrate.
Why is the proposed Brickstone development of more concern than other developments around town? Brickstone’s proposed development is very near private water drinking wells some of which are as shallow as 40 feet. Furthermore, the 100,000+ gallons of water daily which will leave the Neponset River watershed and enter the Taunton River watershed will be doing so near private drinking water supplies in the neighboring towns of Stoughton and Easton. This development will contain 1,404 bedrooms for seniors, average age of 75 (according to Brickstone officials), and a 150-bed nursing home. According to the National Institute on Aging, people ages 65 and older consume more prescription and OTC medicines than any other age group. Moreover, seniors tend to have more long-term, chronic illnesses that require pharmaceuticals, including arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease than younger people. In fact, people over age 65 buy 30% of all prescription drugs and 40% of all OTC drugs (http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/697_old.html). Specifically:
Bacterial infections: The elderly have increased susceptibility to bacterial infections, and therefore are on antibiotics more often than younger counterparts (http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/bst/031/0449/0310449.pdf).
Heart disease: Several of the PPCPs commonly found in water are used to treat heart disease, such as dehydronifedipine, diltiazem, and atenolol. Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, and 84% of persons 65 years or older succumb to heart disease. Prescription drugs are a standard method of treating heart disease in the elderly (http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050615/2289.html). To complicate matters further, the elderly often have multiple cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., high blood pressure, diabetes, and/or abnormal cholesterol), and therefore need multiple drugs to treat them.
Pain medications: Pain is also far more common among the elderly than among younger people. Scientists found that pain prevalence in the elderly ranged from 36% to 88%, with pain more prevalent among nursing home residents. In the US, about 1/5 of elderly people take analgesics at least several times per week, and 2/3 of these people take prescription analgesics for longer than 6 months (http://www.merck.com/mkgr/mmg/sec6/ch43/ch43a.jsp).
EDCs: Hormones are frequently given to the elderly to treat and prevent various diseases. Osteoporosis, an age-related disorder, is treated in postmenopausal women by estrogen replacement (Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1987 Jun;156(6):1516-23). Oral estrogen is given to elderly men to improve serum lipids, homocysteine and fibrinolysis (Atherosclerosis. 1998 Apr;137(2):359-66). Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used in women over than 60 to prevent coronary artery disease (J R Soc Med. 1998 September; 91(9): 475–478).
Depression: Depression affects more than 6.5 million of the 35 million Americans 65 years or older. Depression in older persons is closely associated with dependency and disability, and is often treated with prescription drugs (http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7515).
It is clear, then, that the elderly tend to take more pharmaceuticals than their younger counterparts. Coupled with the sheer number of drugs that would be discharged from the proposed Brickstone facility is the fact that the proposed facility is incredibly dense. According to Silent Spring, a not-for-profit organization that looks at environmental contaminants, residential density is a factor in the number of PPCPs and EDCs, and the concentrations of those contaminants (“Contamination of Ponds on Cape Cod, MA by Steroidal Hormones and Pharmaceuticals from Septic-Contaminated Groundwater,” Standley, L. et al., (www.silentspring.org, 2007). Nursing homes and long-term care facilities are known to produce significant quantities of PPCPs (http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/nsfc/pdf/pipline/PL_wi07.pdf).
Therefore, our concern regarding the proposed facility at this location stems from four factors: 1) elderly people ingest, and therefore excrete, more pharmaceuticals than younger people; 2) the density of elderly proposed at the Brickstone facility would greatly increase the risk of water contamination; 3) the geology of Rattlesnake Hill makes it more likely that contaminated water will travel offsite; and 4) hundreds of homes surrounding the proposed facility are on private drinking water wells.
Apparently, the Sharon ZBA shares our concern. When the ZBA issued its 2003 Comprehensive Permit on this very same property, it allowed only 67 single family dwellings (with a maximum of 4 bedrooms each) plus 53 townhouses (with a total maximum of 138 bedrooms). This is a total (maximum) of 406 bedrooms. The ZBA said the density of 406 bedrooms was the maximum the site could withstand. Specifically, the ZBA said:
The Board’s review of all of these matters has led the Board to find that the public health and safety of the residents of the Project can not be assured, and will be threatened, if the Project is allowed at a density greater than that approved below…. Given the site topography and geology, as presented at the Hearing, the Board finds that as extensive a development as the Applicant proposes may lead to a degradation of groundwater and abutting wells, due to limited available area for the relocation or expansion of a wastewater treatment facility serving a 250 unit development.
In contrast, note that Brickstone is proposing 1404 bedrooms – almost 1000 bedrooms more than the Comprehensive Permit allowed. Should the abutters’ wells become contaminated, evidence such as this ZBA permit could be used as evidence of the Town’s negligence in allowing such a dense use of such an inappropriate site.
Additional complicating factors: PPCPs and EDCs are often present as complex mixtures, which can lead to unknown synergistic effects (http://www.neiwpcc.org/ppcpconference/ppcp-docs/EdwardFurlong.pdf). Moreover, some PPCPs can disrupt the processes in a septic system, posing a risk of groundwater contamination from PPCP compounds and fecal matter. Because no drinking water standard for PPCP compounds currently exists, coupled with the fact that drinking water treatment plants can’t and don’t treat for these compounds, the responsible course of action is to use the precautionary principle.
Finally, pesticides and fertilizers from the golf course and grounds of the Brickstone facility will enter the private wells of abutters without even passing through the wastewater treatment plant. Many pesticides are “probable” or even “known” carcinogens.
Conclusion: The water impacts associated with the proposed Brickstone project warrant close scrutiny. We firmly believe that the geology of the site, together with the fact that hundreds of homes in the area are on private drinking water wells, makes this a completely inappropriate place to build such a dense age-restricted housing development and associated nursing home. Although the science of PPCPs and EDCs is still in the early stages, there is enough evidence and concern among scientists to require the protection of our towns’ citizens.