<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Hadn't seen this posted here yet and
thought it was interesting: </font><a href="http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2009/UR_CONTENT_118942.html"><font size=2 face="sans-serif">http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2009/UR_CONTENT_118942.html</font></a>
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<br><font size=2 color=#600000 face="Verdana"><b>U of Minnesota Three-State
Survey Finds U.S. Households Flushing More Organic Material Than Expected
Down the Drain</b></font>
<p><font size=1 face="Verdana"><b> </b></font>
<p><font size=3 face="Verdana">MEDIA NOTE: </font>
<p><font size=3 face="Verdana"> </font>
<p><font size=3 face="Verdana">Contacts: </font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana">Nina Shepherd, Water Resources Center,
(612) 599-1148, shep001@umn.edu <br>
Patty Mattern, University News Service, (612) 624-2801</font>
<p><font size=3 face="Verdana">MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (06/03/2009) — </font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana">Households are flushing more organic material—including
medicines and cleaning and personal care products—down the drain compared
to historic data, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota’s
Water Resources Center (WRC). </font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana">The yearlong monitoring of households in
Colorado, Florida and Minnesota reinforces concerns that Americans in general
may be adding more household chemicals and pharmaceuticals to waste
water.</font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana"> </font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana">This pilot study, done by the U of Minnesota's
Water Resources Center Onsite Sewage Treatment Program team and the Colorado
School of Mines, sampled the wastewater of 16 households in three states
—Minnesota, Florida and Colorado—for one year beginning in fall 2006.
By adding a mechanical diverter to the homes’ building sewer, researchers
were able to sample water both seasonally and around the clock during a
seven-day period for each home.</font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana"> </font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana">In addition to an increase in medicines
and organic chemicals in the wastewater, researchers found caffeine in
all samples that were tested; salicylic acid (the active compound
in aspirin) was in about three quarters of samples, ibuprofen in half,
and detergent additives and plasticizers in more than three quarters.
Researchers also found that water use did not vary from season to season,
but was affected by the household’s age, with younger households
using nearly twice the amount of water per person than households with
occupants 55 and older.</font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana"> </font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana">The good news is a decrease in the amount
of oil and grease flushed down the drain. Concentrations of phosphates
were also down—due to phosphate-free detergents and household cleansers—while
the amount of nitrogen in household wastewater remained the same.</font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana"> </font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana">“It’s a little like going through someone’s
trash can—you get a snapshot of what’s being used inside the home,”
said WRC research assistant Jessica Wittwer, who was the field sampler
for Minnesota. “While fewer households are flushing oils and grease down
the drain, households across the board are using more pharmaceuticals
and stronger, anti-microbial and nonbiodegradable cleansers. The concern
with pharmaceuticals and nonbiodegradable chemicals is their long-term
effect on the larger ecosystem and food chain.”</font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana"> </font>
<br><font size=3 face="Verdana">The Water Resource Center is affiliated
with the university’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource
Sciences and University of Minnesota Extension. For more information,
visit wrc.umn.edu.</font></table>
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