What's in Your WATER?

Water quality is a subject we take seriously at ALETRIS Center of Integrative Medicine. Pesticides, heavy metals, PCBs, industrial pollutants, radioactive contaminants and undesirable microorganisms have been found in local and national water supplies. We often make recommendations on home and office water filtration systems based on our knowledge of how dangerous these pollutants are for our health. A new class of chemicals – pharmaceutical medications – are becoming a growing concern as well.

Recent research in Britain by the Drinking Water Inspectorate now shows traces of powerful psychiatric medications and chemotherapy in water supplies. Levels of bleomycin, a chemotherapeutic drug, and diazepam, also known as Valium, were the found in the public water supply in the United Kingdon. Athough researchers comment that the doses are relatively low for adults, they are concerned that the levels are too high for a developing fetus. (1)

Not only a concern overseas, this topic also hits home in Chandler, AZ. Activists are currently protesting the construction of a huge animal-testing plant whose activities would result in tons of pharmaceutical waste being dumped into the local water supply. The animal-testing company, Covance, is at odds with the local government, mainly for its proposed method of discarding used animal corpses (by incineration) and its effects on air quality. (2)

For more information on how to stop pharmaceuticals from being dumped into our local water supply, visit http://www.covancecruelty.com.

Resources

Telegraph

Outsourcing Pharma

The contents of this blog, including text, graphics, images and other material, are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please seek the counsel of an ALETRIS physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment.