Our waterways are filled with traces of drugs, says a new study conducted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
A team of researchersecently collected water samples from 59 small streams in the Southeast from Virginia to Georgia, which were analyzed for 108 pharmaceuticals and degrades.
All 59 streams tested positive for at least one of compounds and the overall average was six different compounds per stream.
The drug compounds ranged from common pain killers and antihistamines to medicines used to treat diabetes and seizures.
Metformin, a medicine used to treat Type II diabetes, was found in 89 percent of all sample taken, while acetaminophen, the active ingredient in pains killers such as Tylenol was detected in 36 percent of all samples. Nicotine-related compounds were found in 71 percent of samples, while caffeine-related compounds were found in 49 percent.
None of the chemicals was detected in amounts that exceeded human health benchmarks, but they can cause “toxicity, endocrine disruption, immunomodulation, antimicrobial activity, antibiotic resistance selection, cytotoxicity and mutagenesis, and transgenerational effects throughout aquatic foodwebs,” the study says.
Another study reported in Scientific American showed only about half of the prescription drugs are removed by the water treatment plants that supply our tap water.
Pharmaceutical Chemicals Found in Every Stream Sampled in USGS Study
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN: Only Half of Drugs Removed by Sewage Treatment
