Fish out of pills - Pharmaceuticals in drinking water, NationalGeographic, April 01, 2010. Design Editor Oliver Uberti shows what went into the making of an information graphic about pharmaceuticals that make their way into our watersheds and end up in fish. Click here to see the full-size illustration.
A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans. The concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, far below the levels of a medical dose but the long-term consequences to human health are unknown.
The pharmaceutical industry points out the amount of medication in the water supply is the equivalent of a single pill in an Olympic-size swimming pool. Still, if you a have glass of water in Philadelphia, you are drinking tiny amounts of at least 56 medications.
Antibiotics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants and sex hormones in drinking water of 41 million Americans http://goo.gl/HiXa
AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water. Associated Press.
Drugs in water causing troubling problems to fish, wildlife. CNN.
In U.S., bottled water lacks drug safeguards. CNN.
Pollution: Fish Pharm. NGM Blog Central.In U.S., bottled water lacks drug safeguards. CNN.
Related reading:
Fish Pharm: Pharmaceutical Waste and the Environment. BitingTheDust, 2010.
Fish Pharm: Pharmaceutical Waste and the Environment. BitingTheDust, 2010.
Fishing For Answers: How To Choose Fish and Seafood | Summer Tomato http://goo.gl/0OBf
Updated: 05/02/2010
Updated: 05/02/2010
