September 30, 2008

Water tested for drugs

The government are to commission a pilot project where sample of water are going to be tested for pharmaceuticals, which have been flushed down the drain.

The concerns are that many drugs pass through the body unaltered and therefore end up back into water cycle. Although the actual types of drugs for the initial test have not yet been decided, it is believed that anti cancer drugs are the most dangerous because they prevent cell division.

The testing is due to begin next year and the River Thames is supposed to be the most likely place to start due the amount of population and the area that it covers.

It has been found in the past, that the conventional way of filtering and cleaning drinking water supplies cannot completely remove all traces of pharmaceuticals, hence the need for some proper in depth research.

Source [Independent]