Pharmaceuticals in Waterways Raise Concern
Effect on Wildlife, Humans Questioned
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 23, 2005; Page A03
Academics, state officials and environmental advocates are starting to question whether massive amounts of discarded pharmaceuticals, which are often flushed down the drain, pose a threat to the nation's aquatic life and possibly to people.
In waterways from the Potomac to the Brazos River in Texas, researchers have found fish laden with estrogen and antidepressants, and many show evidence of major neurological or physiological changes.
No one has seen evidence of effects on human health, but a number are asking publicly why the federal government is not taking a more aggressive approach to what they see as a looming problem.
In October 2002, Maine's Department of Environmental Protection asked federal scientists to analyze water samples to determine to what extent prescription drugs had seeped into the state's waterways. Worried that discarded birth-control pills, antidepressants and other drugs could affect the state's fishing industry and public health, the department's Ann Pistell hoped the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Northeast office could give her a speedy answer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/22/AR2005062201988.html