Posted by larryhoover on January 2, 2012, at 18:50:58
In reply to Re: Lou's response-playnlhevzabul » Lou Pilder, posted by Phillipa on January 1, 2012, at 21:43:32
> I've heard also that prozac is in public water so if don't drink filtered water does this mean that technically you are on prozac and whatever other meds could be in our public drinking water? > Phillipa
This happens to be my area of personal expertise in environmental toxicology, i.e. the study of contaminants emitted from sewage treatment plants, and the effects on organisms so exposed.
Is there Prozac in drinking water? Probably not, and if there is, it's of no biological effect.
Let me take you on a brief trip into history. In 2004, the Guardian (British newspaper) reported that Prozac had been found in British drinking water. In fact, that was a hoax. Although they referenced a specific water quality analysis conducted by Britain's Environment Agency, that report made no mention of detecting Prozac. They did find caffeine, ibuprophen, acetominophen, and a few others which we do find here, as well. Prozac is seldom reported, anywhere.
But that report sparked a lot of research around the world, and a variety of pharmaceuticals have been reported. But still, the big three are caffeine, ibuprophen, and acetominophen. In fact, a quick field test for caffeine is now used to determine if sewage is leaking into runoff before it has been reached the sewage plant. Fecal material can be found in runoff (thinks dogs, etc.), whereas caffeine only comes from human kidneys. So, caffeine in runoff flows mean that there's a problem underground.
I do go off on tangents, eh?
So, are any of the detected drugs of any concern? No. They are just too diluted to do anything to you. Some of them are measured in parts per trillion concentrations, which is equivalent to one drop of the substance diluted in 12,000,000 gallons of water.
What has advanced is our ability to detect substances at minute concentrations. I don't think we learn a whole lot from exercising our ability to do so, in this instance.
Lar
poster:larryhoover
thread:1006073
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20111226/msgs/1006172.html