As we reported in yesterday's R&D Daily, pharmaceuticals such as anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones have been found in drinking water in major metropolitan areas such as North Jersey, where the headquarters of R&D Magazine resides. Initially upon reading this, I was thrilled, because many people in North Jersey could use a good mood stabilizer. However, this report of drugs in our drinking water isn't as imminent a problem as it sounds, since the concentrations of drugs found in the AP investigation ranged from parts per billion to parts per trillion, many orders of magnitude below therapeutic doses.

Even if the concentrations were on the high end of that range, parts per billion, would these amounts of drugs in our water be an issue? I'd say not. These drugs have been tested extensively and have been proven to be safe at exponentially higher doses than that which have turned up in the water supply. In addition, the liver does an excellent job of filtering toxins from the bloodstream, and it would be able to get rid of miniscule amounts of even the most potent of these pharmaceuticals. But if you are still worried about this issue, sit back, relax, and have a nice tall glass of water – that should fix you right up.

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