Drugs found in Southern Ontario Drinking Water

The following article appeared in the Toronto Sun newspaper on March 25, 2008. Drugs have been found in the drinking water supplies of large cities in the US so it only makes sense that Canadian cities would have the same problem.

Here's the article:

Drugs found in Ont. drinking water

By SHARON LEM, SUN MEDIA

The Toronto Sun

Low concentrations of pharmaceutical drugs were found in drinking water across 15 southern Ontario cities, but the risk is "minimal," researchers say.

The study found that trace levels of eight drugs including Ibuprofen, cholesterol-lowering drugs and anti-inflammatories like Naproxen, along with cardiac drugs, and a common household antibacterial agent triclosan, were found in surface water exposed to sewage treatment.

"We cannot say there is no risk, but these are very low concentrations of compounds in common use. It represents a minimal amount of risk," said lead author Dr. Mark Servos, a University of Waterloo researcher.

"Science doesn't support that this is a big problem. We shouldn't panic about this and we shouldn't stop drinking water. This is an issue that has been known for five years," he said.

TRACE LEVELS

Most compounds were reduced to trace levels after passing through water treatment plants, but the researchers say the fact any chemicals were found is a sign of potential exposure to many more.

The presence of pharmaceutical and personal care products in the environment is a rapidly emerging international issue, and they have been found in sewage effluents and surface waters in Europe and the U.S.

The 15 southern Ontario cities where the traces of drugs were found in drinking water are not identified.

"This is a good example of researchers being proactive. We need to continue research to find effective innovative ways to further reduce exposure," Servos said, adding this study signals potential exposure to many more chemicals that haven't been studied yet.

Canada's drinking water is cheap, affordable, clean and safe and Canadians are fortunate to have access to clean water said the study published in the Water Quality Research Journal of Canada."

** End of Article **

If you live in one of these cities where trace amounts of drugs and pharmaceuticals have been identified in your drinking water - and it's a concern that your kids are consuming those trace amounts of drugs, what can you do about it?

There is a relatively inexpensive and simple solution and that is to install a reverse osmosis water filter system. Reverse osmosis water filters can remove the greatest amount of impurities from your drinking water including drugs. Under sink reverse osmosis water filters can be purchased for about $350. A whole home reverse osmosis water filter will cost about $2000.

Visit our website to compare water filtration systems.

How to Remove Drugs from your Drinking Water

A wealth of information is available on the internet these days about drugs and hormones being found in our drinking water. Much of the information relates to it's impact on fish that have developed both sex organs and other reproductive issues.

Our drinking water treatment facilities have never been equipped to handle such an situation. The treatment facilities that deliver water to our homes have been developed to kill organisms and parasites, plus sand and silt but not much more.

So where does that leave a home owner who is concerned about drugs and pharmaceuticals in the drinking water coming into his home? It leaves that home owner with no choice but to filter the water himself.

But here's the real question - what water filter will remove drugs from drinking water? Not a faucet mounted water filter!! Not any kind of carbon filter. Only a good quality reverse osmosis water filtration system will remove drugs from your drinking water.

Having said that let's be clear - even a reverse osmosis water filtration system MAY not COMPLETELY remove every impurity from your household water. BUT they do the best job of any water filter on the market. Reverse Osmosis is the system of water treatment that water treatment facilities will eventually be forced to use in order to remove drugs from your drinking water supply - but they are expensive on a large scale so it is going to be years before these systems are in place.

In the meantime, installing either an under-counter reverse osmosis water filter or a whole home reverse osmosis system is the best way to eliminate drugs from your family's drinking water.

Which to choose? An under-counter water filter or a whole home water filter? If you're concerned about the amount of water that gets wasted then filter the least amount of water possible.

One of the major downsides of reverse osmosis water filtration systems is that the filters must be "backwashed" frequently to remove the contaminants they have collected from the water. That means that reverse osmosis water filters can waste up to twice the amount of water they clean.

Make your water filter decision with the facts and filter the water you need to clean in your own situation - but if drugs in the water supply is a concern, then reverse osmosis water filters are the water filter option.

Compare Water Filters for the Home

Excellent Article - The Truth About Our Drinking Water

I recently had the pleasure of reading an article by Dr. Robert O. Young in his blog Articles for Health entitled The Truth About Our Drinking Water.

In the article, Dr. Young gives detailed information about the drugs contaminating our drinking water and how little the authorities are prepared to do about it.

The following quote "But the presence of so many prescription drugs -- and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen -- in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health."

The article is extremely well written and provides tons of information. I really suggest reading it here.

Compare Reverse Osmosis Water Filters