Research news: Pharmaceuticals fouling U.S. drinking water

The News:
Pharmaceuticals fouling U.S. drinking water
A five-month study finds a variety of drugs in water supplies - and growing concern among experts.
By Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza and Justin Pritchard The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/10/2008 01:15:50 AM MDT
A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — has been found in the drinking-water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.
To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe. more...
also, this related article
Low-level drugs show signs of being harmful
By Jeff Donn The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/10/2008 01:13:30 AM MDT
Troubled by drugs discovered in European waters, poisons expert and biologist Francesco Pomati set up an experiment: He exposed developing human kidney cells to a mixture of 13 drugs at levels mimicking those found in Italian rivers.
There were drugs to fight high cholesterol, high blood pressure, seizures, depression, pain, infection and cancer, but all in tiny amounts.
The result: The pharmaceutical blend slowed cell growth by up to a third — suggesting that scant amounts might exert powerful effects, said Pomati, who works at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. more...

The Research:
Read the research reported in the story "Low-level drugs show signs of being harmful", in the journal Environmental science and pollution research.