[Pharmwaste] home water filtration options tested for removal of some drugs

Tenace, Laurie Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us
Fri Feb 24 07:22:24 EST 2012


http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/how-well-does-your-water-filter-work

Michelle Rotner lives with her family in Tempe.

She tries her best to make sure her family has a healthy diet.

That includes filtering the water they drink.

"We are unsure of exactly what can be in tap water. If it's an option that we can choose something without chemicals and unknowns, that's what we will choose for our kids," said Rotner.

Her family uses a filter in their refrigerator.

"It's always cold, and it's readily available to them."

Testing done at the University of Arizona found that's a really good choice.

The Test

The UA teamed up with Good Housekeeping for the first of its kind testing.

The goal was to see if the most commonly used water filters in refrigerators and pitchers are doing what they claim.

The test checked for chemicals that local water treatment plants are not required to remove - like prescription drugs, hormones and pesticides.

"Pharmaceuticals in the environment have become a major media story," said Dr. Shane Snyder, the head of the research group at the University of Arizona.

"And so, I believe families are concerned and they want to know more."

The group tested 15 different chemicals.

"[It could be] any chemical you use in your house. It could be a household product or a personal hair product like a shampoo. Things that we may not have suspected could make their way back to drinking water," said Dr. Snyder.

The Results

The testing found that refrigerator filters worked the best while the pitcher water filters only worked to a certain degree.

These are the test results presented by Good Housekeeping:

-ZeroWater 8-Cup Pitcher, $35:The filter removed above 95% of estrone, PFOA, PFOS, fluoxetine, BPA, ibuprofen; above 80% of atrazine, tonalide, TCEP, DEET, and all other drugs but primidone (73%).  Since testing, the company has modified the filter to speed up its flow rate, which may affect its performance.

-Pur CR-6000 7-Cup Pitcher, $15:The filter removed all estrone, above 71% of all drugs, as  well as PFOS, and above 80% of DEET, tonalide, TCEP, and BPA.  It removed atrazine, sucralose and PFOA slightly less effectively than other contaminants (under 65% at the end of filter's life).  The filter's life span is two months or 40 gallons.

-Brita Riviera 8-Cup Pitcher, $35:The filter removed above 60% for all contaminants except PFOA (55%) and sucralose (49%), but for only half the filter's life.  Throughout the filter's life, its removal rate for all contaminants decreased more sharply than those of the others tested.  The filter's life span is two months or 40 gallons.

Refrigerator filters performed better.

-GE MSWF Refrigerator Filter, $41: The filter removed above 92% for all contaminants except BPA, which was above 90% on all readings but the first two (75% and 81%). It works with some of the most popular models of GE refrigerators.  The filter's life span is six months or 300 gallons.

-Whirlpool Filter 1 Refrigerator Filter, $40: The filter removed above 92% for all contaminants.  It works with some of the most popular models of Whirlpool refrigerators, as well as some under its Maytag and Amana brands . The filter's life span is six months or 200 gallons.

Click on the Good Housekeeping article for all the details and some information regarding safe drinking water.



Read more: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/how-well-does-your-water-filter-work#ixzz1nIk2878L

Laurie Tenace
Environmental Specialist III
Waste Reduction Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Rd., MS 4555
Tallahassee FL 32399-2400
P: 850.245.8759
F: 850.245.8811
Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us
Mercury: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm
Batteries: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/batteries/default.htm
Pharmaceuticals:  http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/pharm/





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