From Sugar and Spice to Cocaine and Heroine in Drinking Water
by Spence Cooper on 11/17/09 at 9:48 am
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Who Needs a Dealer When You've Got Water
According to Sara Castiglioni of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy, a new review study discussed in National Geographic News found that illegal drugs have become “widespread” in surface water in some of Europe’s populated areas. Active byproducts of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and ecstasy are released into the sewage stream through urine and feces and not completely removed during the sewage-treatment process. The drug-tainted waste water enters groundwater and surface water, which are the major sources of drinking water for most people.
In a 2008 study scientists discovered a byproduct of cocaine in 22 of 24 samples of drinking water at a Spanish water-treatment plant, and in 2005, Castiglioni’s associate researcher found that a daily influx of cocaine travels down the Po River, Italy’s longest river. Although drug amounts are small, residues could be toxic to freshwater animals. Globally, scientists are finding trace amounts of sugar, heroine, rocket fuel, and birth control.
Additionally, researchers in Washington State have found traces of cooking spices and flavorings in the waters of Puget Sound. The Puget Sound study is one of several studies investigating unexpected ingredients in the global water supply. Researchers find Thyme and sage during Thanksgiving, cinnamon in the winter, chocolate and vanilla on weekends, and and waffle-cone and caramel-corn remnants skyrocket around the Fourth of July.
Will water become the new pusher?
So now we know what’s in our water, but questions remain. Will these traces of contaminants affect our health? What can we do to purify our water? Is there legislation to prevent or to react to this phenomenon? Is there really a problem? Do we have to worry about men becoming feminized just like the black bass in South Carolina? How are these contaminants getting in our waters?
There are no definitive answers to these questions; so for now, we think it’s important to stay informed. The New York Times has put together a list of more than 20,000 facilities across the US that are allowed to dispose of matter in our water systems.
Think I suddenly want a Brita.
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