Pulled this off of the ProMED mailing list. Thought it might
interest some of you; interesting take on waste streams. There's
surely some overlap with animal ag and water quality issues.
peace
mish
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PHARMACEUTICALS CONTAMINATING DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES
*****************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 18:06:09 -0600
From: Gerald L Hoff <jerry_diane@email.msn.com>
The March 21st issue of Science News carries a potentially disturbing
report concerning the discovery of various pharmaceuticals in drinking
water supplies. These drugs include cholesterol-lowering compounds,
drugs for regulating blood lipid levels, analgesics, chemotherapy
drugs, antibiotics and hormones, among others. It is believed that the
source of many of these drugs is the human alimentary and urinary
tracts.
According to the story, a recent review in the January issue of
Chemosphere of more than 100 published studies related to these drugs
and found "practically zero" data for gauging the potential toxicity
of chronic exposures to low doses of these compounds in the
environment.
Apparently, last July, the FDA decided that unless modeling data
suggests that a drug's concentrations in the environment would reach 1
ppb, a manufacturer would not have to submit an environmental
assessment. The manufacturer does the modeling.
A report out of Switzerland (March issue of Environmental Toxicology
and Chemistry) now documents fluoroquinolone antibiotics in sewage
treatment plant water in concentrations of 0.5 microgram per liter.
Tentatively, the drug has been identified as ciprofloxacin.
An unanswered question is whether or not antibiotics in environment
are contributing to the growing problem of bacterial resistance to
antibiotics. Will physicians have to consider environmental
friendliness in their prescribing patterns?
- --
Gerald L. Hoff, Ph.D.
Chief, Division of Communicable Disease Control
Kansas City, MO, Health Department
e-mail: gerald_hoff@kcmo.org
[0.5 micrograms/liter exceeds the 1 ppb limit referred to by the US
FDA. This seems like a high concentration to be found resulting from
medical use of ciprofloxacin. Is there a Bayer production facility in
Switzerland? - Mods. JW/ES]
......................................jw/es -
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Michele Gale-Sinex, communications manager
Center for Integrated Ag Systems
UW-Madison College of Ag and Life Sciences
Voice: (608) 262-8018 FAX: (608) 265-3020
http://www.wisc.edu/cias/
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In the end, they will lay their freedom at our feet
and say to us, 'Make us your slaves, but feed us.'
--the Grand Inquisitor, Dostoevsky
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