You are here: Los Angeles Health Denver Health Examiner

Donna Feldman

Denver Health Examiner
Donna Feldman grew up in New Jersey with a nutrition-obsessed mother who put wheat germ in everything. She rebelled, but during a college all-nighter, she picked up a copy of a popular nutrition paperback, eventually earning a Master of Science in Nutrition at Cornell University. She now has a private practice in nutrition counseling in Boulder County. Contact her at health.examiner@mindspring.com.

  

Examiner Feeds

These websites were picked by the Denver Health Examiner as useful resources.

Good websites for reliable health information

Front Range Health Resources

Videos (single topic)

Health Examiner's Favorite Links

Health Topic web video collectons

Denver Examiners

Steve Caulk
Denver Public Relations Examiner
Most Recent Article
Red Tree wins industry ad award
Kevin Rook, Ph.D.
Denver Technology Examiner
Most Recent Article
Extend your iPhone's talk time
Colin Roybal
Denver Bars and Clubs Examiner
Most Recent Article
Bar joke of the week: stopped by the police
Mike Wolf
Denver Nuggets Examiner
Most Recent Article
Healthy Spurs rout Nuggets
Stan Dyer
Denver Dining Examiner
Most Recent Article
Charles Dickens Christmas Beer Dinner
 
 

Examiner is growing in Los Angeles

We are seeking writers...
Ready to join us? Learn More »

Drugs in tap water revisited

August 21, 1:15 PM
by Donna Feldman, Denver Health Examiner
 
 

What's in your water (www.ksl.com)
After the Associated Press published the results of a 5-month investigation of drugs in public water supplies, Congress rounded up the usual suspects for hearings, and the topic faded away.

Since then, increasing green consciousness (all those shipped and discarded plastic bottles), combined with concern about plastic in bottled water persuaded more people to switch to tap water. So what’s in that tap water?

The short answer - you can't always know.

The EPA sets standards for certain known contaminants, including microbes, heavy metals, certain industrial chemicals and some agricultural chemicals. The US government does not require testing for pharmaceuticals. Until recently, it wasn’t considered important. But with hundreds of millions of Americans taking numerous prescription drugs every day, maybe it’s time to reconsider.

The AP investigation turned up trace amounts of dozens of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, mood drugs and sex hormones. These, and others, get into our water supply when they’re flushed down the toilet, either excreted by users or deliberately flushed as a means of disposal. The American Water Works Association, based in Denver, dismisses the trace amounts, such as those found by the AP tests, as unlikely to cause harm. However, those trace amounts are capable of causing documented birth defects in wildlife.

 A list of the top 50 prescription drugs, courtesy of my medical insurance provider, includes the following:

  • 14 blood pressure drugs
  • 10 pain medications, including several from the oxycodone family
  • 7 drugs for depression and anxiety
  • 6 antibiotics
  • 3 statins - the major ones advertised on TV every 5 minutes
  • various other medications for diabetes, seizures, allergies, sleep disorders and stomach acid.

If metabolites of all of these and more are flushed into our water systems everyday, how can experts claim there is no danger? Because there’s no research one way or the other. The government’s approach is “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

What can you do? Home water purification won’t necessarily help either. Neither P& G’s PUR filters nor Brita filters make claims about pharmaceutical removal. Both can filter chlorine, agricultural contaminants, heavy metals like lead, sediment, microbial cysts and some industrial pollutants.

Distillation removes everything from water, including possibly the taste, but home distillation or reverse-osmosis systems can be expensive. Spring water delivery is another option, although also not inexpensive. Jeremy Martin of Eldorado Artesian Springs, Inc. says calls to the company increase when water quality is in the news. Eldorado water is tested periodically, and contaminants are rarely detectable.

So until the government decides to get serious about detecting and removing pharmaceuticals from public water supplies, you can’t be sure what’s in your morning coffee or the water bottle you took on your bike ride.

For more info: The Wall Street Journal article includes a chart of home water purification options.

Topics: water quality , tap water , EPA
   Subscribe   Feed
 
 

Comments

Name:  
Email Address:  
Comments:  

More from Denver Health Examiner

Barbarous healthcare system

September 10, 2:54 PM
Barbarian Invasiona DVDWe rented the Academy Award winning Barbarian Invasions last weekend.  To judge from the DVD case, it was a funny look at family relations.  Boy was that impression inaccurate.  But ironically it turned out to be... Read More
Topics: single payer medical care , medical tourism

Diet help - more protein at breakast

September 8, 5:34 PM
Which is the better breakfast?  Whole wheat bagel and 100% juice smoothie or 2 scrambled eggs and Canadian bacon?  Well, if you're a dieter, a new study suggests those scrambled eggs are for you.  Data from a Purdue University shows that... Read More
Topics: health

Recess before lunch - finally common sense

September 4, 10:56 AM
Recess first, lunch second. (www.cbsnews.com)There plenty of parental and societal angst about kids' nutrition, especially in schools.  Feel-good changes, like restrictions on vending machine selections and birthday party cupcakes, give people... Read More
Topics: school lunch , recess before lunch , child nutrition

John McCain: one foot in the grave?

September 2, 12:46 PM
The intense scrutiny of John McCain's vice presidential choice is heightened by McCain's age and his cancer history.  The media hordes assume that anyone over age 70 is likely to keel over without warning, at any time.  His past melanoma diagnosis... Read More
Topics: Melanoma , John McCain , 2008 presidential election

Down Syndrome - detectable, not preventable

August 29, 1:24 PM
Until an hour ago, I didn't know much about Sarah Palin, McCain's surprise VP candidate.  But I can quickly conclude she must be enormously organized, gutsy and determined.  Not only is she governor of Alaska, she has 5 children.  And... Read More
Topics: Sarah Palin , Down Syndrome , McCain's VP

Looking for health at the DNC

August 26, 10:06 PM
On Tuesday I went looking for health at the DNC.  The resident reporter met up with me at the Millennium Bridge, and we took off to check out the Tent City protest zone.  Not much action there.  In fact, very few people.  The biggest... Read More
Topics: DNC , health , DNC street scene

Tear gas in your future?

August 25, 8:42 AM
Effects are supposedly temporary (www.kosovo.net)On Sunday, our resident DNC reporter was wandering around Denver and came upon a scuffle between several of the ubiquitous SWAT guys and some protestors. As spectators gathered to watch the excitement,... Read More
Topics: health , tear gas , CS gas , mace

Obama vs. 'Bama

August 22, 11:52 AM
Pay more for medical insurance? (wordpress.com) Here's news sure to raise the ire of Barack Obama and his policy makers:  The state of Alabama is planning to charge overweight state employees $25 per month for medical insurance. ... Read More
Topics: health , medical insurance , obesity , Alabama

6 Reasons for the Freshman 15

August 18, 2:23 PM
Every year around this time, we hear the cliched jokes about the dreaded Freshman 15 - those 15 (give or take a few) unwelcome pounds that many new college freshmen accumulate during first semester.  The simplistic explanation is that kids are pigging... Read More
Topics: Freshman 15 , weight gain in college