Columbus Drug Treatment: Drugs in Drinking Water – How This Affects Aquatic Life and What This Might Mean for People

What if I told you that drugs in drinking water was a concern across the nation? In fact, the problem is growing in both urban and rural areas.

In an investigative report by the AP, surveys and test data for water supplies in over 50 cities were reviewed.

In the city of Columbus, OH, the report showed that the antibiotics azithromycin, roxithromycin, tylosin and virginiamycin were present, and the stimulant caffeine was identified.

The city of Columbus uses their Division of Power and Water to oversee water quality in the city and provide wastewater treatment and water distribution services.

The watersheds that provide the majority of Columbus’ annual water supply come from three reservoirs in the Upper Scioto River Basin. This portion of the basin contains several large waste water treatment plants and animal feed lots that discharge into the Scioto River. Groundwater sources make up the remaining supply.

Concerns about long term effects of drugs found in drinking water have shown up in the development of water creatures. A 2006 federal study shows that even minute amounts of Prozac cause female freshwater mussels to release larvae early, dooming them because they cannot live on their own.

Environmental groups have raised the issue with water supplies as well. The Columbus-based National Ground Water Association has examined waste water discharges for hormones. When treated water containing hormones is returned to streams and rivers, scientists who are examining the gender of fish populations are seeing dramatic increases in the female fish population, the the point of eliminating the male fish. This is in contrast to water with minimal hormone concentrations which has more a balanced male-female mix.

With these issues being discovered in fish species, it begs the question, what are the long term effects of drugs in drinking water on humans. No long term studies exist on this topic, which results in unknown risks to us all.

Now that you know this, you can take steps to protect yourself from this growing concern. Drinking water filter systems provide a very straightforward way to protect yourself against unwanted substances in your water. Look for systems that can filter out chemical contaminants such as chlorine, remove metals like lead, and remove unwanted medications and organic chemicals. Once you have surveyed the market, you will be ready to put a quality system in place to reduce your threat of drugs in drinking water.

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