Pollution experts: Save fish from drugs in wate

The content below is excerpted from an article post by the associated press.

It's true, scientists don't yet know the effects of pharmaceutical contamination of drinking water on humans. However, here's the problem, the type of research necessary to account for all the variables; including what effects result from pharmaceutical contaminant "cocktails" takes many years of controlled testing. By the time results confirm highly plausible suspicions it'll be too late to prevent harm to many millions of affected people. The other area of concern is that most municipal water systems do not test for these types of contaminants so there is no assurance potentially harmful pharmaceuticals are not being dispensed from taps across America.

clipped from www.google.com Pollution experts: Save fish from drugs in water "Hundreds of peer-reviewed publications ... demonstrate that numerous ubiquitous chemicals in the environment can interfere with development via the endocrine system, but there appears to be no will or authority to remove those chemicals from the supply chain," said zoologist Theo Colborn, a professor emeritus at the University of Florida, who founded the nonprofit Endocrine Disruption Exchange. Utilities say their drinking water is safe, and no human risks are confirmed from pharmaceutical pollution. However, research shows that the pharmaceuticals sometimes harm fish, frogs and other aquatic species. Also, researchers report that human cells fail to grow normally in the laboratory when exposed to trace concentrations of certain drugs.