Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water

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(The following information is taken from a USU Water Quality Extension publication. To see the entire article, click here)

When cleaning out your medicine cabinet, what do you do with your expired pills? Many people flush them down the toilet or toss them into the trash can. Although this seems convenient, these simple actions may be contaminating your water supply.

Recent studies are generating a growing concern over pharmaceuticals and other personal care products entering surface and ground water. Pharmaceuticals include chemicals such as over the counter medicines, cosmetics and other personal care products, as well as antibiotics and growth hormones used with livestock.

Starting in the mid 1980’s, studies began to sound the alarm. In the US and in Europe, aspirin, caffeine, nicotine and biproducts of soaps, shampoos and other personal care products were showing up in rivers below waste water treatment plants. A sampling program in the 1990s found 30 different pharmaceuticals and related chemicals in surface water samples (Ternes, 1998). More recently a study published by the U.S. Geological Survey found a broad range of chemicals downstream from urban areas. Of the 95 chemicals the USGS measured, one or more were found in 80 percent of the streams sampled and about one-third of the streams contained 10 or more of the chemicals (USGS 2002). Recent work by Colorado State Universityhas also found elevated antibiotics in surface water downstream from livestock operations and manure fields ( Davis, 2004).

Are humans or the natural environment affected?

The levels of most of these chemicals measured in streams and groundwater are very low (parts per trillion) and therefore below the prescription dosage. However, evidence is mounting that these chemicals are finding their way into humans. For example, one study looking at household and industrial chemicals found that over 80% of American children contained residue of at least 1 pesticide. Scientists are concerned that these chemicals may disrupt human hormone systems, may cause lower sperm counts, and may be linked to increased rates of breast, testicular, and prostate cancer, and increased incidence of hyperactivity. Antibiotics in our environment create a different type of problem. Disease causing bacteria exposed to low levels of antibiotics over extended periods of time may lead to resistant strains which cannot be treated easily.

Around the world, changes in fish, amphibians and other organisms have been noted. These range from premature spawning in shellfish to the inability of fish to repair damaged fins (Reynolds 2003). In all cases, low levels of these chemicals are a prime suspect.

How do these chemicals get into the water?

Sources of pharmaceuticals and personal care products include pharmaceutical industries, hospitals, medical facilities, households, and agricultural areas. Because up to 90 % of oral drugs can pass though humans unchanged, many of these drugs enter the environment through human and livestock waste. Improper disposal of unused products is also a factor. Many of these drugs and care products do not biodegrade and may persist in the groundwater for years.

The amount of these chemicals released into the environment is also a concern. The amount of personal care products and pharmaceuticals released to the environment is estimated to be about the same as the amount of pesticides used each year. Furthermore, the U.S. accounts for about half of all pharmaceutical use in the world.

What can we do?

Unfortunately, clean up and removal of these pollutants is a difficult task. Wastewater treatment methods used in the U.S.aren’t designed to remove many of these chemicals, and much of the contaminated water is from nonpoint sources and is never treated. This means that much of what goes down our toilets and our drains finds its way to our streams and groundwater.

Drinking water treatment plants can remove many of these chemicals, but the technologies that are most effective are not common in the U.S. The most effective treatment methods include advanced oxidation, membrane filtration, and nano-filtration, while the least effective method is chlorination, which is the most common technique in the U.S.(Reynolds 2003).

Prevention is always the best strategy for reducing contamination. Individuals can minimize overuse and misuse of drugs and return unused medications to pharmacies, rather than dump them down a drain. Industries are working to produce more environmentally friendly chemicals and increase point of use treatment.

The good news is that the concentrations currently being detected are very low, and there is time to develop new treatments and modify our current practices to protect our waters. All these actions to keep drugs and care products from finding their way into your water will ultimately protect you and your family.

For references and more information, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.

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In addition to the wonderful information supplied by USU Water Quality Extension, you can also check out http://www.medicationdisposal.utah.gov/ where you will find drop off locations and events, or plan to come to the Be Well Utah Fair on Saturday September 12th from 10am - 4pm at the University of Utah to drop off all of your unused medications.

USEE Member Taking a Different Approach to Climate Change

The Utah Chapter of the Nature Conservancy (and USEE Institutional Member) was featured in the Salt Lake Tribune for its plans to use its Dugout Ranch as "a laboratory for understanding how climate change is affecting Utah and for solutions on easing its impacts."

The laboratory, featured dubbed the Canyonlands Research Center, "would shift its focus from the discussion of whether climate change is a problem to more practical considerations: How can ranchers, water districts and other natural resource managers best cope with the changes under way -- changes that affect everything from forests, streams and range?"

This is exciting news as the Nature Conservancy is working actively find solutions and adaptions to issues that Utah will have to deal with in the future resulting from climate change. "The work already has begun, with the Nature Conservancy's Utah Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment. The first-of-its-kind project in the state involves identifying and mapping plants, animals and ecological systems thought to be most vulnerable to changes in climate"

Read the entire article by Judy Fahys here: Nature Conservancy Lauches Climate Change Research Site

Dugout Ranch will be the site of the Canyonlands Research Center.
Photo courtesy of Tom Till

Oh Carp!

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Manipulating/managing the environment is always a very tricky job. Factors not even considered in the original plan can easily come up, causing even further problems. I'm sure we can all think of examples of "good ideas" that we now know may have not been the best choice in the long run. Off the top of my head I would mention, predation control, introduction of non-natives, or fire suppression. I know these are all controversial and have their pros and cons, but they make the point that when managing the environments, we never fully understand the long term effects.

As such, I was pleased to read an article yesterday about controlling carp in Utah Lake. The issue is this - Carp need to be controlled in Utah Lake. There is a virus that has been present in British lakes, and now in Arizona that kills only carp. One might think this was a great solution to the problem. But is it?

Again, we don't fully know the answer to this question, but I was impressed with the forethought of the Utah June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program (who works on Utah Lake). Reed Harris, director of the program states that "There were three different diseases that we know kill carp. We're just reluctant to bring in a disease when we can't control it and we don't know (everything) about it."

He also goes on to say that "Well, the disease down at Mohave affected a lot of other fish besides carp."

That's because of what Harris called "collateral damage" to fish the virus doesn't target. When carp die by the thousands, it fouls the water. That makes it unpleasant for humans and unhealthy for other fish. It's one of the hard-to-predict consequences if people begin tinkering with viruses to kill carp.

"We think that catching them and using them in some sort of productive way is probably a better way," Harris said. "It's a little more controlled, and we feel like that way we can watch and see what happens."

So, Harris and his team will opt to use nets and round up at least 75% of the carp (which they say will be enough to improve water quality), and they'll use the carp for things like fertilizers, pet food, etc.

One other aspect of this story is that the virus would kill the fish for free, where the netting will cost over 9 million dollars. Even though it may seem costly upfront, we don't know how much it might cost down the road if the virus got out of control.

Is their course of action the best choice? I'm not sure any of us can make that call. BUT, I for one would like to say Kudos to the managers of this project for their forethought and inclusiveness.

Click here to read the full article.

'Super weed' taking strong hold in Utah - Article from KSL

Many of you who know me know that my educational background is in watershed science (with an emphasis in outreach education). As such, I can't pass up an opportunity to pass on information pertaining to watersheds and water quality related issues. The article below was on ksl.com this morning talking about an invasive weed called phragmites. This weed is prevalent in wet areas, can out compete native species and lead to a monoculture if not kept in check. The article also gives information about how the plant is changing to be more competitive, possibly due to climate change factors. Check it out....

June 8th, 2009 @ 6:45pm

By Ed Yeates

LOGAN -- One of the country's most invasive plants, sometimes dubbed the "super weed," may be getting even stronger. University of Delaware scientists have discovered the plant's poison used to get rid of its neighbors appears to be evolving.

In wetlands west of Logan, Dr. Karin Kettenring, with Utah State University, looks at native plants being overrun by a tall tasseled plant called phragmites. "Just physically taking over space, whether it's below ground from the rhizomes or above ground from the stems and leaves, it's crowding out the native plants," she said.

Researchers at the University of Delaware say increased UV rays from the sun, which could be the by-product of climate change, are making the plant's toxins stronger. It uses those poisons to snuff out neighboring plants.

Kettenring believes the excess from fertilizers used in lawns and gardens may also be making their way into the wetlands, stimulating phragmites.

"And we've seen that in research some of the folks have done along the Chesapeake Bay, and I can only imagine that's the same situation here," she said.

The plants grow tall and dense, spreading millions of seeds. Rhizomes also penetrate deep into the soil and spread out laterally.

"Ten or 15 years from now, maybe even five years from now, this could be all phragmites if they don't control it very quickly," Kettenring said.

Phragmites will strangle the marshes, destroying nesting areas for birds and the seeds from native plants they eat for nourishment. Birds need that energy for flight as they migrate. With help from the Utah Waterfowl Association, the Department of Wildlife Resources got $200,000 this year to begin battling the invasion.

Dr. Kettenring spent the last two years studying phragmites on the Chesapeake Bay. She joined USU's ecology team to continue her research here.

E-mail: eyeates@ksl.com