(639e) Pharmaceuticals in Our Water Supply

The world's water supply circulates in a cycle in which this precious commodity is constantly reused. If a pharmaceutical is not removed during wastewater treatment, and subsequently, is not removed during drinking water treatment, it has the potential to end up in our drinking water. Excretion of pharmaceuticals by humans and animals and flushing unused pharmaceuticals contribute substantially to the ultimate occurrence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water. No regulations currently require monitoring or public reporting of the presence of pharmaceuticals in our water supply. To date, no known human health effects are attributable to the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water. However, most toxicological impacts of chemicals are known for acute exposures at high levels, whereas, environmental exposures to chemicals tend to be chronic, over long periods of time at trace concentrations. The fundamental properties of a chemical, defined by its chemical structure, determine the success of water treatment processes in chemical removal firstly via wastewater treatment and secondly via drinking water treatment. In this presentation, setting priorities for the analysis and treatment of pharmaceuticals in the urban water cycle will be discussed within the context of research completed and underway in our laboratory. A general overview of this issue will be presented including case studies of occurrence of pharmaceuticals in our water supply.