[Pharmwaste] Experts say no human problem with pharms in drinking water

[Tenace, Laurie]

http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2005/sep/policy/cc_pharmw=
ater
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Policy News -September 14, 2005
Experts say no human problem with pharmaceuticals in drinking water
Leading researchers reassure drinking-water managers that the threat to =
human
health has been overblown.
After the 2002 publication in ES&T of monitoring data showing a wealth =
of
pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PhPCPs) in U.S. streams,
researchers scrambled to understand the significance of the findings.
Meanwhile, citizens groups have raised concerns over human health =
dangers
posed by PhPCPs in drinking water. This concern has been overblown,
scientists involved with the research told attendees at the American =
Water
Works Association's (AWWA) annual convention in June.

"A lot of people . . . over-interpreted some of our findings, especially =
with
personal care products, to say that a certain compound was commonly =
found.
The truth is that most of the compounds were not commonly detected," =
U.S.
Geological Survey hydrologist Michael Focazio told convention attendees.

The 2002 study looked for 95 contaminants from industrial, human, and
agricultural wastewater sources in 139 U.S. streams and found very low =
levels
of many of the compounds (Environ. Sci Technol. 2002, 36, 1202-1211).

Loads of occurrence data have since been generated about PhPCPs in =
streams
that show only very low levels, the panel of scientists said. Yet, many =
of
AWWA's members, who work in public and private water utilities, are =
still
concerned about potential human health effects, comments Al Roberson, =
AWWA
security and regulatory affairs director. He adds, "They are all asking,
'What is the relevance to human health of these low levels?'"

"We are talking about thousands of different compounds in the source =
water,
and yet there are a lot of public health mysteries," pointed out Bill
Robinson, who attended the AWWA convention and is director of the Upper =
San
Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. "Who knows when a contaminant =
that
is considered safe now will finally be found to be harmful to humans?"

Research detailing the feminization of fish from low levels of exposure =
to
endocrine disrupters has scared the public into thinking that drinking =
water
is contaminated, several of the scientists said. Shane Snyder is an
environmental toxicologist with the Southern Nevada Water Authority and =
has
studied treatment methods to remove PhPCPS from drinking water. He said =
that
research on endocrine disrupters and pharmaceuticals has been "crossed =
up way
too much" in the public's mind. "The idea of feminization of fish is =
pretty
dramatic for anyone to consider. But again it all has to be looked into =
in
context."

Frans Schulting of the Global Water Research Coalition, an =
international,
nonprofit water research alliance formed in 2002, agreed. The presence =
of
PhPCPs in drinking water "is not an issue about public health," he said.
European scientists have been studying these chemicals longer than their =
U.S.
counterparts, and the science strongly supports that conclusion.

However, the researchers cautioned that in certain places contaminant
concentrations are high enough to warrant further public-health studies.
These include areas downstream from large animal farms and spots where =
human
waste has been directly discharged because of a septic system overflow =
or a
lack of a wastewater treatment plant. Certain pharmaceuticals, =
especially
those that are highly toxic at low levels and steroid hormones, should =
be
looked at more closely than chemicals such as caffeine, the researchers
added.

"Aquatic exposure is really the concern," said Christian Daughton of the =
U.S.
EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory. Researchers still don't =
fully
understand what feminization and masculinization of fish means for the
overall health of fish populations.

"The key is to be able to do the experiment at the bench scale and under =
more
natural field conditions," adds David Graham at the University of =
Kansas.
"But there isn't a lot of political will to do these types of studies in =
the
U.S., especially. They are doing it in Europe, but like everywhere else, =
the
money is not growing on trees." -CATHERINE M. COONEY

Laurie J. Tenace
Environmental Specialist
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4555
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400
PH: (850) 245-8759
FAX: (850) 245-8811
Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us
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