Cotinine, Other Prescription Drugs, Found in U.S. Drinking Water

Cotinine, along with many other pharmaceutical drugs, was discovered in trace amounts in several watersheds across the country. As of now, it is not thought that these trace amounts will cause much damage to individuals drinking normal amounts of tap water, though little is known at this point. According to the Associated Press, these drugs or drug byproducts were found in the watersheds of 28 major metropolitan areas including New York City and Philadelphia.

According to Wikipedia, cotinine is a metabolite and anagram of nicotine. The drug is thought to impact the development of Alzheimer's disease.

For those who drink tap water regularly, this proves disturbing news. If you're like me, and prefer bottled water . . . well, the news isn't that much better. According to a CNN news report, some bottled water is little more than reprocessed tap water. This suggests that drinkers of either supply of water are at some risk for coming into contact with these drugs.

That the drugs were found in only trace amounts in the watersheds seems to suggest, in my mind, that the issue is not one to be too worried about. News sources have stated that the authorities on the matter have already suggested that, while they take the matter seriously, they have no reason to suspect that these trace amounts will cause any serious damage. Perhaps if someone were to mercilessly guzzle water in unprecedented amounts, they might face an issue; then again, they'd be facing some other issues as well, like water poisoning. For people like me, who are lucky to get their eight glasses a day as suggested -- I'm the first to admit I'm not a big water-drinker -- the problem seems little more than one in a million tiny news particles to digest and forget in a week.

At the same time, however, my concern grows when it is reported that many water suppliers don't know how to respond to this news. Suppliers apparently don't know whether this poses a major threat or a harmless sidebar. Though the authorities say the issue may not present a major threat, this in no way suggests it won't be a threat eventually. Similarly, the news reports have also shared that the method of testing these water supplies is not a national standard. Many watersheds and supplies have yet to be tested. Others may never be. Being a native of Pennsylvania, I have to admit the alarms went off when I saw the high number of drugs discovered in the Philadelphia watershed; 63 pharmaceuticals were found in this water supply, which is in an alarming contrast to other numbers, considering the next highest is New York City with only sixteen reported.

Of course, the way in which these drugs pass into the water supply provides a little relief. It's not as though people have been pill-dumping. Rather, these trace amounts come in the same way any other trace amounts of foreign substances appear in our water. We, er, pass it on. Basically, while most of the medication in the pills we take are absorbed into the body, some amounts are passed through the body. We flush these amounts down the toilet like all our other waste. And, like any other waste, this passes through our water systems, which are filtered and treated. Some of this wastewater is treated at water treatment plants and passed back to us as drinking water. Whether from the tap or from a bottle, we're bound to wind up with traces of something in our water.

These recent news events raise some alarm for those of us who have experienced problems with drinking water in the past. From personal experience, I recall a time when drinking tap water left me feeling nauseous and generally ill. Whether this resulted from bad products in the water or simply a dissatisfied pallet is virtually impossible to say. Yet I'm sure I won't be the only one questioning whether or not incidents like these have something, if anything, to do with this new drinking-water issue. For more information on the AP's study, see their report here.

Sources:
Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza, and Justin Pritchard, "AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water" Associated Press.
Wikipedia, "Cotinine" Wikipedia.com.
AP, "Prescription Drugs Found in Drinking Water Across U.S." CNN.
Associated Press, "Drugs Found in Watersheds of 28 Areas" Associated Press.