Monday, March 10, 2008

Caffeine found in Cincinnati drinking water

A recent AP investigation which tested the drinking water of shows that some Cincinnati area water supplies, including those of Norwood, Reading, Florence and Butler, Warren and Boone Counties, contains caffeine and several over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceutical drugs.

From the original AP article:

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.

In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas — from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky.

Water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed, the AP found. For example, the head of a group representing major California suppliers said the public "doesn't know how to interpret the information" and might be unduly alarmed.

5 comments:

Reverb said...

So what you're saying is that our tap water will give me more energy as well as less aches and pains?

*leaves to fill up bottles with tap water.*

valereee said...

Ryan, and possibly antibiotic resistance, according to the article! :D

Anonymous said...

That's very interesting. This article explains further how the medicines are filtered out of the Ohio River water and never actually make it to our faucets.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080310/NEWS01/303100139/

valereee said...

For those who couldn't get to anonymous' link (it worked for me in the email notification I get but not from the comment) here is a shorter version:

http://tinyurl.com/23s6tj

This article directly contradicts the AP story, which says the drugs were found in our finished water supply. The Enquirer story says that Cincinnati Water Works removes any pharmaceuticals using a filtering process called 'deep bed carbon filtration.'

Not sure what to believe. Isn't that just always the case?

513 said...

The best part of this is I never heard anything after the few articles. Welcome to the land of the free and dosicle where this kind of thing is acceptable! Lets see what happens next, outright doping of the water for our benifit against terroiest threats, or disease.I know jumping to conclussions could possable take away from my arrugment, but the bottom line is there are medications in the water that are known to effect the animlas living in the water.