Drugs found in New York tap water: Cause for alarm?

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(CBS/AP) Trace levels of medicines and personal care products have been detected in New York City's drinking water. 

The city's Department of Environmental Protection drew samples from three upstate watersheds between March and December last year and analyzed them for 72 compounds, including antibiotics and prescription drugs.

PICTURES: Toxic tap water? 14 drugs, personal care products found in NYC drinking water

The DEP said the tests detected 14 drugs and personal care products at least once but that none was found at levels that would pose a risk to the city's 9 million residents.

"For most of these detected compounds, a person would have to drink at least tens of thousands of glasses of water a day to get one effective dose of the substance or to meet a toxicity threshold," the DEP said in a statement.

Not everyone agreed with the DEP's assessment of risk.

Although the level for each contaminant detected might be too low to pose a threat to health, "we cannot be assured that the final mix is safe," Dr. Olga Naidenko, a scientist with the Washington, D.C.-based watchdog organization, told CBS News in an email.

The study follows one done in 2009 that also detected tiny amounts of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, including penicillin and the insect repellent DEET, in the city's drinking water.

The initial study was prompted in part by an Associated Press investigation that found pharmaceuticals in drinking water of dozens of the country's major water providers, serving 41 million people.

Human health risks from trace pharmaceuticals are unclear, and the federal government does not regulate their levels in drinking water.

The DEP said it monitors about 250 contaminants in the city's water.

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Toxic tap water? 14 drugs, personal care products in NYC drinking water

[tome22]

The DEP tests of 14 drugs 7 personal care products but none where found at levels that would pose a risk of the ciy's 9 million residents, or do they? The DEP is testing quantity and at one time not so long ago that would have been sufficient, but not anymore with the new method of manufacture that includes the science of NanoTechnology. NanoTechnology is the science of the infinitly small particle size.Whereby the DPA measures quantity, it is also necessary to measure particle size.Because of the particle size of the chemicals that the cosmetics & medical industries are now using, these what are called nanoparticles are now able to pass through the blood brain barrier and at this time it is not known what the results would be on the human being.There has been some research done with negative results. The DEP & the EPA have yet to come up with a policy concerning this new science of NanoTechnology, but industry is moving with lightning speed to get these new products on the market before regulation cramps their profits. This is the same game the industry played before it was found out that asbestos was found to be extremly harmful to the human being. The same potential exists with these new chemical compounds, but this time the damage done to society will not be localize to a few, but the damage will be done on a mass scale,potentially harming millions.

[rf35]

Maybe this is the real reason for the startling increase in autism disorders that seem to be getting a lot of attention lately. That, or doctors are profiting by diagnosing a "disorder" that is conveniently vague in its description and may or may not respond to prescription medication but "let's try anyway."