How Do Pharmaceutical Drugs Get in Our Drinking Water?

If you have been following the unfolding case of drinking water contaminants, you may have heard about the E.P.A.'s findings that suggest that pharmaceutical drugs have been found in a number of major water sources across America. But how do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water? The question must be approached from a number of different angles, beginning with an understanding of the function of municipal water filtration, how such purifying plants operate, what they can, and can't do, and ultimately, the ramifications for someone who may be in contact with these drugs.

Nowadays the data is rock solid for the threat of pharmaceutical drugs. Unfortunately, getting the technological changes in place that will secure citywide security is a difficult matter. One day a probe finds drugs in drinking water, and the next a city's officials are swearing up and down that no such threat exists. Raw data is being exposed that show that pharmaceutical drugs have a lasting presence in our water supplies, but the necessary steps are simply not being taken.

In regard to the question of how do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water, the answer, simply, is through us. A large percentage of the drugs we take, from antibiotics to antidepressants, birth control and hormone treatments, pass through us into circulation in our water system.

This would be a non-issue if our current city water purification processes had the ability to effectively deal with these contaminants. Unfortunately, this is not the case. So, how do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water after moving into a purification system? In this case, it is a matter of molecular density, and temperature resistance. While most contaminants can be controlled through either a sterilization process or a fine filtration system, these pharmaceutical residuals are both hardy enough to survive the harsh treatment, and smaller than the water molecules that are being strained for impurities.

One bit of good news in this case is the fact that at-site water filtration provides an effective solution to this issue. The best systems utilize a multi-stage carbon-based filtration system that does not permit any pharmaceutical drugs through. Ultimately, it is not just a matter of how do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water, but a case of how best to prevent them from affecting you, or your family.

Rather than wait until a probe finds drugs in drinking water in your area, making a move away from any potential threats will help secure you and your family in the long run.