The Lowdown

Where is the research going on that will inform us how much we need to worry about this issue of drugs and hormones in our drinking water (and the drinking water of other species too)?

My suggestion is that every state should be contributing data to one or more than one research projects, specifically looking at the effects on health and normal growth of children to adulthood. We need MONITORING of chemicals of all kinds in the environment. We need a national program of research, conducted through local centers doing the collection of samples of blood, urine, umbilical cords, breast milk, etc etc.

Does anyone else agree this ought to be done? I am tired of reading about ALARMS without ACTION! All environmental issues require us to have a proposal for action which will increase our knowledge of what is really harmful and what we can forget about. This means money being spent and taking all of this very seriously.

American Pharmacists Association recommendations is good, but it is better to avoid the problem completely: By eating the right food so you don't need the drugs in the first place, and won't need to use plastic bags either! (I spent 40 years learning this. I began to refuse drug prescriptions because I know a better and safer way. But after that I never get sick anyway.)

It's impossible to expect the entire country to refuse drug prescriptions within a time span that will reverse this issue before it gets worse. I agree that there needs to be national monitoring. Testing should be done at all times and Americans needs to be alerted if the levels are risking their health. It makes you wonder if the water has anything to do with obesity here in the states. Unhealthy eating may be only an offset to an already rapidly fat-producing body. I would like to know where the results are posted somewhere.

Consider the fact people consume less than .2% of the water treated by a treatment plant, and consider the enormous cost to build a plant that would remove all potential contaminants. The tax burden would be astronomical, and the EPA only regulates 91 chemicals, with 7500 under possible review (that have been found in water).

The only real option is to take personal action and use a filter to treat just the water you consume.

If you want to completely remove these new emerging contaminants and any others from your water, a combined system approach like the one used by Pure Water Systems, Inc. (http://www.purewatersystems.com) will give you piece of mind knowing that whatever shows up in your water, it will have been removed by your water purifier. I recommend you check out their products, by far the most thorough design I have seen.

The AP News Release concerning drugs in our drinking water has stirred quite a controversy. Fact is, this is actually "old news"... I have known of this for a long time. My husband raises livestock. One of our concerns is antibiotics in animal feed. We try to use the least possible amount of antibiotics on our livestock because we know the antibiotics pass through the animals same as they do humans.

Many of us are on medications for one reason or another, myself included. No doubt, unfortunately these medications pass right through our bodies and some portion of that enters the environment - water supply.

It is not only pharmaceutical drugs that is being found in water today, but also illicit drugs too. Scary thought, we are drinking "street drugs" to some degree.

The Natural Resources Defense Council has done numerous studies in relation to water. They provide a vast array of information on their website: http://nrdc.org

I happen to be involved in the water filtration industry and have done much research concerning water contamination. I would like to welcome anyone who is interested in the subject to visit my website: http://www.supremedrinkingwatersolutions.com You will find a number of articles to read, news concerning our drinking water, and information regarding the health effects of various contaminants found in water.

Thanks for reading, P Wilson St Augustine Fl

I happen to be involved in water filtration and I would like to set the record straight. There is not a drinking water filter on the market today nor has there been in the past that removes all contaminants from drinking water. That is a fact.

There are many hundreds if not thousands of water filters on the market today. Very few, do what I would consider a good job at "reducing" contaminants from water.

Point of use water filters are a good idea for health reasons. Many doctors recommend using point of use water filters for that reason.

The way you know if a water filter is worth spending your hard earned dollar is to always look for the NSF Certification. NSF stands for the National Sanitation Foundation. Quality filters are NSF Certified. Unless it strictly states: Certified by NSF according to Standard 42 (aesthetic effects) or Standard 53 (health effects) or the additional standard for reverse osmosis Standard 58...

To view the actual NSF Certification of any certified water filtration product go to http://www.nsf.org/consumer/ There you can compare the actual performance data based upon testing done by NSF International...

For more information regarding water filtration technology, water contamination and the health effects of such contaminants found in water today please read my articles, also see health effects, and water news at my website: http://www.supremedrinkingwatersolutionscom

Thanks for reading,

Patti Wilson St Augustine, Florida

The Natural Resources Defense Council initiated the Clean Water Act years ago and has always fought to preserve our water resources.

Call me a bunny hugger if you wish, but I am an active supporting member of the NRDC and Sierra and am very concerned about our environment.

The government is not going to enact legislation or enforce restrictions on heavy duty big business polluters unless we see to it they do so.

The NRDC does exactly that through legal means. If it was not for the NRDC we would not have the Clean Water Act nor would we have the EPA restrictions on municipal water suppliers we have today.

In fact, I have recently read where our government has been attempting to degrade many restrictions concerning water resources, such as reducing restrictions on dumping pollutants into or near stream and river heads...

It is our responsibility to hold the government accountable regarding laws and restrictions concerning water.

Hopefully we can leave our children and grandchildren with clean healthy water to drink in the future.

Thanks for reading and please visit my website for more information regarding our water resources... I have numerous articles posted on the site, water news, and the health effects of contaminants found in our water today...

http://supremedrinkingwatersolutions.com

Patti Wilson

St Augustine, Florida

I've gone through so many filtration systems and I have never been completely satisfied. They were all so costly and required to much maintainence or replacement parts(filters,etc.). Filters are just more waste. I found this person/company that didnt need either. He was telling me how everyone is straying away from bottled water and going to filtration systems. He also told me how many filters are being used in the world now. And how after the time on a filter elapses, they become BREEDING GROUND FO BACTERIA! Not to mention how many filters will end up in landfills, just like the bottles that we are slowly doing away with. Send him an email, bre@vwp-usa.com

There is actually a program in any large cities to collect the unused drugs. Difficult to see that the Greenguide is advising us to dispose off the drugs in the regular household trash. There are flyers given out at pharmacies and all over the internet to find the place nearest your home. S. C. Los Angeles, CA