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Drugs in N.Y. drinking water too minute to matter
Drugs in water not a concern, city says
Quantities too minute too matter, according to Health Department, in response to AP probe
By GLENN NYBACK, STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
Staten Island Advance
NEW YORK CITY — Even as they admitted they don't know whether pharmaceuticals are in the city's drinking water, city health and environmental officials insisted yesterday that traces reportedly found in water supplies across the country wouldn't harm anyone.
The minute amount of drugs detected in an Associated Press investigation, if accurate, "would be extremely small and would not be expected to adversely affect human health," the city Health Department said. If a person drank 1 million cups of water, the amount of medication consumed would equal that in a single over-the-counter ibuprofen tablet or the caffeine in one cup of coffee.
"Recognizing that this issue is a concern for some New Yorkers, the Health Department and the Department of Environmental Protection will work together to monitor the situation and determine what additional steps are necessary, as well as educate the public about pharmaceutical disposal in the watershed areas," a Health Department statement said.
The Health Department and the city Department of Environmental Protection will closely follow the issue of drug traces in drinking water as the situation develops and "consider appropriate next steps."
An Associated Press investigation revealed that minute amounts of more than 15 drugs - including antibiotics, sex hormones and sedatives - or their byproducts were found water systems of 24 major metropolitan areas from Southern California to New York. Though barely measurable, these pharmaceuticals represent a veritable medicine cabinet: Drugs for aches, infections, seizures and high blood pressure; hormones for menopause; the active ingredient in a popular sedative, and caffeine.
The drugs ended up in the water after people flush medications down the toilet or after traces of pharmaceuticals pass through people's urine. Treated waste water, with some drug residue left behind, is then discharged into reservoirs, rivers and lakes.
"New York City's drinking water is among the best in the world, and though nothing in the information we've seen presents a risk to this water supply, we understand and take very seriously public concerns about pharmaceuticals in drinking water and continue to closely monitor this emerging national issue, in cooperation with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene," a DEP statement said.
The Health Department and the DEP are developing an education program to inform people of the best disposal methods for medications.
Answers to questions about the city's water
The city Health Department responds to concerns raised by the Associated Press investigation.
Q. Is the city's water safe to drink?
A. Yes. New York City tap water is routinely tested for 240 potentially harmful compounds, more monitoring samples than are required by state and federal standards to ensure the safety of the water supply.
Q. Do I need to use bottled water?
A. No, it is not necessary to use bottled water. Tap water is safe to drink.
Q. Do New Yorkers need to take any steps to purify their drinking water? Should people boil their water?
A. The Health Department does not recommend taking any special precautions to avoid exposure to pharmaceutical residues in drinking water. The unconfirmed trace amounts of ibuprofen and caffeine found in the very few samples from the city's water supply would not be expected to pose a risk to human health. A person would have to drink 1 million cups of water to get the dose contained in a single over-the-counter tablet of ibuprofen or the caffeine in one cup of coffee.
Q. How should I dispose of my pharmaceuticals?
A. Unused, unneeded or expired prescription drugs should be taken out of their original containers and thrown in the trash. Medications should not be flushed down the toilet or sink drains unless the accompanying patient information specifically instructs that it is safe to do.
Q. What effect does the presence of pharmaceuticals have on the environment? A. Studies have found that, in some areas, the pharmaceuticals found in waste water from treatment plants may adversely affect the health of fish that live in these waters. Findings from these studies are not necessarily relevant to human health since humans, unlike the fish studied by some researchers, do not live in the waste-water discharges, which is primarily where the fish have been found to have effects. In addition, fish are more vulnerable to some medications than humans.
Associated Press material was used in this report.
Copyright 2008 Advance Publications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Quantities too minute too matter, according to Health Department, in response to AP probe
By GLENN NYBACK, STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
Staten Island Advance
NEW YORK CITY — Even as they admitted they don't know whether pharmaceuticals are in the city's drinking water, city health and environmental officials insisted yesterday that traces reportedly found in water supplies across the country wouldn't harm anyone.
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The minute amount of drugs detected in an Associated Press investigation, if accurate, "would be extremely small and would not be expected to adversely affect human health," the city Health Department said. If a person drank 1 million cups of water, the amount of medication consumed would equal that in a single over-the-counter ibuprofen tablet or the caffeine in one cup of coffee.
"Recognizing that this issue is a concern for some New Yorkers, the Health Department and the Department of Environmental Protection will work together to monitor the situation and determine what additional steps are necessary, as well as educate the public about pharmaceutical disposal in the watershed areas," a Health Department statement said.
The Health Department and the city Department of Environmental Protection will closely follow the issue of drug traces in drinking water as the situation develops and "consider appropriate next steps."
An Associated Press investigation revealed that minute amounts of more than 15 drugs - including antibiotics, sex hormones and sedatives - or their byproducts were found water systems of 24 major metropolitan areas from Southern California to New York. Though barely measurable, these pharmaceuticals represent a veritable medicine cabinet: Drugs for aches, infections, seizures and high blood pressure; hormones for menopause; the active ingredient in a popular sedative, and caffeine.
The drugs ended up in the water after people flush medications down the toilet or after traces of pharmaceuticals pass through people's urine. Treated waste water, with some drug residue left behind, is then discharged into reservoirs, rivers and lakes.
"New York City's drinking water is among the best in the world, and though nothing in the information we've seen presents a risk to this water supply, we understand and take very seriously public concerns about pharmaceuticals in drinking water and continue to closely monitor this emerging national issue, in cooperation with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene," a DEP statement said.
The Health Department and the DEP are developing an education program to inform people of the best disposal methods for medications.
Answers to questions about the city's water
The city Health Department responds to concerns raised by the Associated Press investigation.
Q. Is the city's water safe to drink?
A. Yes. New York City tap water is routinely tested for 240 potentially harmful compounds, more monitoring samples than are required by state and federal standards to ensure the safety of the water supply.
Q. Do I need to use bottled water?
A. No, it is not necessary to use bottled water. Tap water is safe to drink.
Q. Do New Yorkers need to take any steps to purify their drinking water? Should people boil their water?
A. The Health Department does not recommend taking any special precautions to avoid exposure to pharmaceutical residues in drinking water. The unconfirmed trace amounts of ibuprofen and caffeine found in the very few samples from the city's water supply would not be expected to pose a risk to human health. A person would have to drink 1 million cups of water to get the dose contained in a single over-the-counter tablet of ibuprofen or the caffeine in one cup of coffee.
Q. How should I dispose of my pharmaceuticals?
A. Unused, unneeded or expired prescription drugs should be taken out of their original containers and thrown in the trash. Medications should not be flushed down the toilet or sink drains unless the accompanying patient information specifically instructs that it is safe to do.
Q. What effect does the presence of pharmaceuticals have on the environment? A. Studies have found that, in some areas, the pharmaceuticals found in waste water from treatment plants may adversely affect the health of fish that live in these waters. Findings from these studies are not necessarily relevant to human health since humans, unlike the fish studied by some researchers, do not live in the waste-water discharges, which is primarily where the fish have been found to have effects. In addition, fish are more vulnerable to some medications than humans.
Associated Press material was used in this report.
Copyright 2008 Advance Publications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
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