WHY ARE TRACE PHARMACEUTICALS IN MY DRINKING WATER?

TRACE PHARMACEUTICALS are sometimes called microconstituents or emerging contaminants. They are products that enter the water supply through animal-based agricultural runoff or from human sources. A high percentage of pharmaceuticals in wastewater enter the water supply when people dispose of medicines in the sink or toilet. Most, if not all, pharmaceutical products — whether used in animals or in humans — are used in doses at which some amounts are passed through the user and back into water systems.

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of many US towns and cities

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. 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.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO TRACE PHARMACEUTICALS

Just because pharmaceuticals are only found in our water supplies in trace amounts that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s nothing to worry about. Drugs are intended for specific uses and can have side effects. What drug may be helping one person can be detrimental to the health of the next person. For instance, we don’t give certain medications to pregnant women or children because the developing body is very sensitive.

Another concern is that people might have allergies to some of the drugs that contaminate the water. Antibiotics, for example, are known to cause allergic reactions in susceptible people. These reactions can be severe—they include symptoms that range from hives and wheezing to the potentially life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

A common issue in our rivers now is fish changing their sex because of pharmaceutical pollution in our rivers, with estrogen being the main culprit.

NO LAWS EXIST TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM TRACE PHARMACEUTICALS

Many chemicals are highly regulated because they are known to negatively affect human and environmental health. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is tasked with regulating exposure to these chemicals, but pharmaceuticals are not included in its regulatory scheme. Despite years of prodding by environmental scientists, the EPA has given very little attention to the dangers posed by widespread pharmaceutical contamination.

HOW DO I REMOVE TRACE PHARMACEUTICALS FROM MY DRINKING WATER?

At Epic Water Filters, we designed and tested the Epic Smart Shield Under Sink Water Filter to remove trace pharmaceuticals and emerging contaminants from your tap water. We went the extra step and had IAPMO certify the Epic Smart Shield against NSF/ANSI standard 401 and tested it to remove Phenytoin, sold under the brand name Dilantin (Anti Seizure Medication), Ibuprofen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation, Naproxen, sold under the brand names Aleve, Naprosyn, Ec-Naprosyn, belongs to a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This drug is used for the management of mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. Estrone, also spelled oestrone, is a steroid, a weak estrogen, and a minor female sex hormone. It is one of three major endogenous estrogens, the others being estradiol and estriol.

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