Drugs in our Drinking Water: Prescription for Trouble

You and I have the same goals. We both want good health and long and happy lives for ourselves and our families. But achieving these goals is being threatened by a new source of environmental pollution: drugs in our drinking water.

Environmental engineers and medical experts have worked hard, over the last several decades, to identify and address the health issues associated with potentially dangerous water contaminants. But it has only been in the last few years that science has begun to take a serious look at the long term effects of drugs found in US drinking water. Currently, the jury is still out. But the consensus is that these drugs are a prescription for trouble.

Its interesting that scientists have only recently thought to look for drugs in our drinking water, given the fact that we all know whatever passes through our bodies eventually ends up on our water system. Taking contraceptives, antibiotics, antidepressants and other prescription drugs is a part of daily, modern life. But now that the presence of these substances has been officially documented*, experts are speculating about what we can expect from continued, low-level exposure to drugs in our drinking water.

Dr. David Ozonoff of the Boston University School of Public Health, a leading expert on water contamination, has stated, "The risk of disease associated with public drinking water has passed from the theoretical to the real."

One frightening scenario involves the development of "super" micro organisms, created by the chronic presence of low levels of antibiotics in our water supply. You may be saying to yourself, "so what? Well, if we became ill from these "fortified" micro organisms, doctors may not be able to help us get well. These super bugs may become resistant to even high doses of antibiotics. (Which is kind of ironic when you think about it.)

If you're looking to your local water treatment system to handle the removal of drugs in our drinking water, you better look elsewhere. Most municipal water filtration systems are not equipped to remove synthetic chemicals. And that is just what prescription drugs are...synthetic chemicals.

Despite the fact that drugs found in US drinking water appears to be a potentially serious problem, the news is not all bad. We don't have to wait for the final verdict to come in before we decide to take action. It is possible to do something, right now, to ensure that we have clean, healthy drinking water. There are many effective home water treatment systems available that do an excellent job of removing drugs in our drinking water along with most other contaminants.

Multi-stage filtration systems are most effective at removing these unwanted contaminants. You will also find systems that have been certified for the specific removal of synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs) and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). The great thing about this method of water purification is that it provides you with water that is clean and healthy. Vital minerals that occur naturally in our water are left intact so that we can benefit the way nature intended.

Make no mistake about it. The potential effects of drugs in our drinking water are something we cannot ignore. But now that you know that there is something positive you can do to protect the health of you and your family, take some time to compare home purification systems. I know you will find, like I did, that getting the best home water purifier is a prescription anyone can take.

*Research by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Geological Survey

Article authored by Olivia Romero - www.cleancoolwater.com - "There are many important reasons why we need clean, healthy water but there's one which has to rank as the most important of all..."

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