So it IS something in the water! Pharmaceuticals

[TerryJ2]

I always wondered about this ... I'm sure there will be legislation now.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/pharma...r/20080309130309990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

 

[sandman3]

I saw this in the newspaper today......How completely sad that I didn't find it surprising at all, as I'm sure many of us won't! Lately is seems as if Pandora's box has been opened and all the sick truths about our government and country are coming out even though it's all been happening for years and years.

 

[Steely]

Wow.....I wonder if bottled water is any better?

psychiatrists have always told me to flush old medications - I guess not, huh.

And I wonder what could have possibly chemically altered my sister's brain - obviously, there are a bazillion scenarios, this one of many.

Thanks for the article.

 

[Star*]

We have a bag that we throw any unused medications into and once a year take it to our pharmacist to be destroyed.

I have a girlfriend who until recently worked at the water treatment plant - and she said (no kidding) that the water that is dumped into the river via a pipe after they are done treating it has safer water in it than what comes from your tap.

After working in infrastructure for 2 years and digging up older metal pipes? I can ABSOLUTELY tell you there is NO way I would ever drink tap water unless it's filtered.

We have well water and it's filtered 3 times before it gets into our glasses and STILL you can't believe what is in the filters and how fast they chunk up.

My Mom even has a filter on her shower water to avoid chemical absorption through her skin -

Not surprised at all.....they have said for years this is why 10 and 11 year olds are getting periods - too much estrogen in the water from mass women taking birth control pills and peeing. Not hard to believe at all.

 

[Shari]

They say most bottled water is simply tap water with a fancy name, so I doubt it. Wow.

 

[Lothlorien]

And everyone wondesr why there is so many more increases in Autism/Adhd/Bipolar disorder, etc.

 

[Hopeless]

I read this article and was wondering the same thing about the increase in BiPolar (BP)/Austism/Adhd disorder, etc.

 

[Lothlorien]

I definitely believe there is something to it. There used to be a huge pharmaceutical company in Toms River, NJ. There are high concentrations of rare cancers, high autism rates and other rare disordes. One of my friend's sons also has one of the rare cancers and she lives there. The pharmaceutical company is no longer there, but it will be years before the area is completely cleaned. It's a well-known civil case that's been in the courts for years.

 

[hearts and roses]

I recall a few years ago some whisperings of this, so I guess it's official now that they have tested major metropolitan areas.

We live pretty high up in CT and have well water. Every time I've brought this up in the past with H he basically says, "pish posh - our water is fine!" Well, I'm buying a water filter system for our faucet TODAY. I used to have one but the water piddled out so slowly that H took it off. I think they make them better these days.

I wonder, when you boil water do the chemicals burn off?

I also wonder if one of those Brita filtration pitchers are enough to filter out the chemicals.

I've often thought that what we're consuming is attributed to the rise in mental disorders as well as premature puberty. Ugh.

**And lets not forget all those farming chemicals that were outlawed in the 70's!! That's in our water too. Dang.

 

[TerryJ2]

I think the hormones in meat are at least as potent as what's in the water.

Some HS kid will do a science experiment that will knock the socks off of any testing company--and do it faster and cheaper--and tell us whether boiling or filtration will help.

Maybe now is the time to invest in that Brita ...

 

[TerryJ2]

I found this online. It doesn't specifically say pharmaceuticals but it's helpful.

Types of Water Filters
The simplest, and often least expensive, water purifiers are those that use a carbon-activated filter. These include pitchers with built-in filters as well as those that attach directly to faucets or to plumbing below the sink. Those using granulated charcoal may be slightly less effective than solid block charcoal filters. Carbon filters will generally remove chlorine, coarse sediment, lead and some organic chemicals. The simplest types won't filter out pathogens, some pesticides and some heavy metals, but those with a combination of filters are more likely to.
The most comprehensive, and most expensive, water purifiers are reverse-osmosis systems. These purifiers push water up against a membrane. The water that does not make it through contains the contaminants and is diverted as waste water. While reverse-osmosis systems remove a wide-range of contaminants, including all heavy metals, many pesticides and asbestos, they do not remove trihalomethanes (THMs), radon and VOCs, or pesticides such as lindane and atrazine unless they also have carbon filters attached. They also waste a lot of water " a few gallons for each gallon purified is flushed away as waste water.
Distillers, contrary to popular belief, do not remove all substances from water. Distillers do remove heavy metals, asbestos, nitrates, bacteria, viruses and cysts, but do not eliminate most pesticides, VOCs, chlorine and trihalomethanes (THMs), a group of chemicals which form when chlorine reacts with organic chemicals left in the water by soil and decaying vegetation. THMs may cause miscarriages. In addition, distillation softens water, removing calcium and magnesium, which are beneficial to human health. Softened water is more likely to leach chemicals from storage containers.
Water purifiers that are labeled with "absolute one micron" will filter out cysts that have escaped disinfection by water companies. A word of caution: "Nominal one micron" will not remove pathogens!
The National Sanitation Foundation, a nonprofit organization, certifies water filters by the type of contaminants eliminated. NSF Standard 42 is used on filters that remove contaminants that reduce aesthetic quality (taste, smell, color), such as aluminum, chlorine, iron and sediment. NSF Standard 53 is the most comprehensive, used for filters that remove most pesticides, VOCs, cysts, fluoride, most heavy metals and THMs. NSF has a database of filters certified by them.

 

[DammitJanet]

Does anyone else think it was hysterical that the greater Difficult Child area had anti-anxiety medications in their water? Im thinking they need to increase those....LOL.

 

[mstang67chic]

Does anyone else think it was hysterical that the greater Difficult Child area had anti-anxiety medications in their water? Im thinking they need to increase those....LOL.

 

[Shari]

Yeah, there were some other areas that were "interesting", too.

 

[Steely]

Anyone read Civil Action? Not the movie, but the book! True story, about this exact thing. Probably the best book I have ever read. Seriously gave me chills.

 

[Lothlorien]

The lawyer from that worked on that case is the same lawyer that heads the case in Toms River.

 

[susiestar]

My husband worked in water quality when we met. (He was a fish pimp. His job was to make sure the fish were happy and having babies so they could run tests using the babies. he was GOOOOOOOD at it!)

He tested what the treatment plants and factories were releasing into the rivers. It is MUCH cleaner than what is in the tap water. And the EPA regs don't touch even half of the problems.

I think a water filter is a good idea. Brita is pretty good at filtering most things out, but not everything.

Boiling will kill live organisms, but will NOT take other things out of the water.

Distilled water is your purest.

We have a well. I am looking into whole house filtration. I jsut think we will all be healthier.

Susie

 

[susiestar]

OH - the walmart brand filters do as well as teh Brita, and most thrift stores have a brita pitcher or 2 on the shelves. Many of hte filters are interchangeable.

Susie