[Pharmwaste] 3 articles - EDCs in South Africa, antibacterial soap research, unwanted meds collection in IL

[Tenace, Laurie]

As a reminder - I found these listed today and there are many new and
archived reports and studies at this web site:
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/  - Laurie

http://www.pretorianews.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20070924043841914C938
970


Tap water under microscope
24 September 2007, 06:22

Evidence of chemically induced sex changes, sperm damage, missing penises and
other sexual problems in fish and animals has raised fears about a
potentially wider threat to South Africa's human communities.

The pioneering study by a team of senior Water Research Commission scientists
found evidence of reproductive damage, as well as high cancer risks in a wide
variety of animals at Rietvlei, a large nature reserve on the outskirts of
Pretoria and Johannesburg. 

While the commission has described the study as a "cause for concern, but not
panic", it has also raised the possibility that people around the country may
be exposed to smaller but similar chemical health risks from tap water -
despite sophisticated municipal water treatment systems that are designed to
filter out the most harmful chemical levels.

Many of the problems at Rietvlei have been linked to a variety of widely
distributed gender-bending substances known as endocrine disrupting chemicals
(EDCs).

A growing body of international research suggests that even small traces of
these synthetic or natural chemical cocktails can disrupt the body's chemical
messaging system by mimicking the female sex hormone (estrogen), or by
counteracting the male sex hormone (androgen). 

The side-effects in humans are still under investigation, but some
researchers have linked them to declining sperm counts in men in Western
nations, delayed or premature sexual development in girls, and birth defects
in young boys such as cryptorchidism (undescended testes) or hypospadia (a
defect in the normal opening of the penis).

South Africa's water quality guidelines do not define or regulate EDCs, and
very few tests have been done on local tap water supplies to assess the
potential threats.

The studies at Rietvlei have revealed:


A highly skewed sex ratio in frogs. Females outnumbered males by four to one,
whereas the normal ratio is one to one;


Some snails had no penises or smaller-than-average penises;


Male eland antelope had strange, calcified lumps in their testicles;


Nearly 30 percent of male catfish were classified as "intersex" because they
had both male and female sexual organs, including the ability to produce
early-stage female egg cells;



Mice had low sperm counts and other problems; and


A surprise finding was the discovery of "very high" levels of the pesticide
DDT in catfish - even though the pesticide had been banned for several years
in South Africa and was only used on a restricted basis for malaria control
in three provinces.

DDT and its byproducts have been linked to low sperm counts and other
reproductive damage to men in recent studies in Mexico and Limpopo province. 

Many other potentially gender-bending chemicals are also in daily use in the
homes and gardens of humans in products such as plastic food wraps,
medicines, cosmetics, flexible PVC pipes, pesticides and building materials.

The first evidence of some EDC chemicals in South African drinking water was
detected in a pilot study five years ago, prompting scientists to develop
early warning signals in so-called "biological sentinel" animals which live
in water-dependent environments.

The new Water Research Commission report on animal changes at Rietvlei
coincide with international studies which suggest that more girls are being
born in Greenland - one of the first pieces of evidence of a skewed sex ratio
in human communities linked to EDCs.

The lead scientists of the South African study have declined requests from
The Mercury to elaborate on the significance for humans, and the Department
of Health has not responded to queries that were sent to it last week.

However, project team leader Professor Riana Bornman, from the University of
Pretoria's department of urology, has recommended several areas of follow-up
research - including chemical tests on tap water in the Tshwane Metropolitan
area and an investigation into the number of people exposed to polluted water
in the reserve and immediate vicinity.

Neil Macleod, the head of water and sanitation in the eThekwini Municipality,
said: "This is an issue we have been looking at for about four years, but
it's not something we are concerned about right now.

"Internationally, the EDC issue is at such an early stage of understanding
that there are some authorities who say it poses a serious threat to humans,
while others say it's hard to prove anything yet. 

"We don't want to overreact or underreact," Macleod said.

http://www.environmentreport.org/story.php3?story_id=3638
ANTIBACTERIAL VS. PLAIN SOAP: A WASH  
 A new review paper in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases finds that
antibacterial soap is no better than plain soap at keeping you from getting
sick. Some national studies have found that about 70% of liquid soaps on
store shelves contain antibacterial ingredients. 
 
 Antibacterial soaps are marketed as an extra defense against that awful bug
going around the office or your kid's school. But as Rebecca Williams
reports, new research finds antibacterial soap is not any better than plain
soap at keeping us from getting sick. And some scientists and doctors worry
there might be risks to widespread use of antibacterial products:

Read the paper in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases 

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/lifestyles/568827,092407recyclingdrugs.article
New drug drop-off can stop pharmaceuticals from ending up in the water supply

September 24, 2007
Special to the Daily Southtown
If you're flushing those old prescription medicines or over-the-counter drugs
down the toilet or drain, you may inadvertantly be adding them to the water
supply.

The U.S. Geological Survey has found that pharmaceuticals are surviving
wastewater treatment and showed up in 80 percent of the fresh water the
agency tested.

To combat that, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has joined
forces with Will County to create a pilot site in Joliet where old or
unneeded drugs can be dropped off. It's open to anyone who's an Illinois
resident.

The program accepts all non-narcotic medications as well as inhalers,
medicated shampoos, vitamins and medical items that contain mercury, such as
blood pressure gauges and thermometers, said Marta Keane, recycling
specialist for the Will County Land Use Department.

The recycling site is Basinger's Marycrest Pharmacy, 2130 W. Jefferson St.,
which is open from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

"Too often people aren't sure what to do with expired prescriptions or
medicine they no longer need," Will County Executive Larry Walsh said.

"Many people used to simply flush the extras, but unfortunately some of that
medicine ends up in our water supplies. While there have been no documented
cases of anyone becoming ill from the practice, we want to do everything we
can to keep our water supplies safe."

"I see it as a community safety program," Basinger's owner Harish Bhatt said.

People often have leftover prescriptions because a doctor has advised them to
stop taking the drugs, Keane said.

The only items the program will not accept are those that contain narcotics,
she said. People should throw those in the garbage with coffee grounds or
other unappealing items so they won't be removed by a person or animal, Keane
said.

This is the first time the state and county are operating a drug disposal
program in partnership with a retail business, Keane said.

"The idea is that the hours of operation for a collection program at a
pharmacy are incredible, because it is open 365 days a year and about 12
hours a day."

About a year ago, the IEPA announced a reversal in medication disposal
directions after learning that pharmaceuticals were turning up in the water
supply.

"Research showed no connections between medication residue in the water and
human health," Keane said. "But researchers are studying the links between
the development of fish and medications in the water."

For more information, call (815) 725-1102 or (815) 727-8834 or go online at
www.willcountylanduse.com.


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 at dep.state.fl.us 

Mercury web pages:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm

Unwanted Medications web pages:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/medications/default.htm




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