Pharmaceuticals and Other Emerging Contaminants
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products, known in the water industry as PPCPs, are a group of compounds consisting of human and veterinary drugs (prescription or over-the-counter) and consumer products, such as fragrance, lotions, sunscreens and housecleaning products.
These compounds have been detected in trace amounts in surface water, drinking water and wastewater effluent sampling because water professionals have the technology today to detect more substances, at lower levels, than ever before.
Many PPCP compounds are being found at extremely low levels, typically single-digit parts per trillion (ppt). Drinking-water standards are typically set in the parts-per-billion range, which is 1,000 times higher. The fact that a substance is detectable in drinking water does not mean the substance is harmful to humans. To date, research throughout the world has not demonstrated an impact on human health from trace amounts of PPCPs found in drinking water.
The water community is committed to protecting the public health. Water professionals are examining the occurrence of PPCPs in drinking-water supplies and the effectiveness of current treatment techniques on removal, and are paying close attention to health-effects research in this area, including research being conducted by the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains an active program called the Contaminant Candidate List to identify contaminants in public drinking water that warrant detailed study. While the list does not currently include any PPCPs, EPA may consider these compounds in the future. For information about which compounds were detected in Southern Nevada's water supply, see the 2007 Water Analysis Summary below.
 |
2007 Water Analysis Summary of pharmaceuticals and other emerging contaminants |
Safer medication disposal
To help safeguard water quality, discard your unwanted or expired medications in the trash, rather than dumping them down the sink or toilet. Keep prescriptions in their original container, remove or black out personal information on labels, then hide them in an empty, sealable container before placing in your garbage bag. For detailed tips on responsible medication disposal and protecting our water supply, visit PainInTheDrain.com. See the Rx Disposal section.