For all the times I get asked to explain the weird behaviour of Americans, perhaps now I have an answer. Drugs!
An Associated Press investigation found pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supplies of 24 major US cities— including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones—affecting 41 million Americans.
That’s 13.6 per cent of the US population.
To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.
But the presence of so many prescription drugs—and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen—in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.
My hometown also makes an appearance, and wins the Rudy Giuliani Prize for First to Use 9/11 as an Excuse: “The drinking water in Dallas has been tested, but officials are awaiting results. Arlington, Texas, acknowledged that traces of a pharmaceutical were detected in its drinking water but cited post-9/11 security concerns in refusing to identify the drug.”
So maybe I finally have an answer to the “What the hell is in the water over there?” question.
And the conspiracy theorists are surely having a field day with this.
4 comments:
From the greatness of Dr. Strangelove:
General Jack D. Ripper: Fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face.
Obviously, he was right.
Each chemical, on its own, might cause health problems in maybe one in a million people. However, the US has over 300 million people, and there are lots of those drugs in the water.
To make things worse, there are so many potential drug interactions.
It's not the biggest health crisis in the world, but it should be cause for concern.
You got some exposure in Wednesday's edition of the Washington Express (pg 32, to the right of the picture):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/express/pdfs/EXPRESS_03122008.pdf
Dude, you made the Blog Log! Just like old times. :-)
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