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All 6 posts Subject: Stay calm: Prozac's in the drinking water Please login to post Down

Stonium
(BEE-OTCH)
08-08-04 07:45
No 524217
User Picture       Stay calm: Prozac's in the drinking water

Stay calm everyone, there's Prozac in the drinking water

Mark Townsend
Sunday August 8, 2004

The Observer

It should make us happy, but environmentalists are deeply alarmed: Prozac, the anti-depression drug, is being taken in such large quantities that it can now be found in Britain's drinking water.

Environmentalists are calling for an urgent investigation into the revelations, describing the build-up of the antidepressant as 'hidden mass medication'. The Environment Agency has revealed that Prozac is building up both in river systems and groundwater used for drinking supplies.

The government's chief environment watchdog recently held a series of meetings with the pharmaceutical industry to discuss any repercussions for human health or the ecosystem.

The discovery raises fresh fears that GPs are overprescribing Prozac, Britain's antidepressant of choice. In the decade up to 2001, overall prescriptions of antidepressants rose from nine million to 24 million a year.

A recent report by the Environment Agency concluded Prozac could be potentially toxic in the water table and said the drug was a 'potential concern'.

However, the precise quantity of Prozac in the nation's water supplies remains unknown. The government's Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) said Prozac was likely to be found in a considerably 'watered down' form that was unlikely to pose a health risk.

Dr Andy Croxford, the Environment's Agency's policy manager for pesticides, told The Observer: 'We need to determine the effects of this low-level, almost continuous discharge.'

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat's environment spokesman, said the revelations exposed a failing by the government on an important public health issue. He added that the public should be told if they were inadvertently taking drugs like Prozac.

'This looks like a case of hidden mass medication upon the unsuspecting public,' Baker said. 'It is alarming that there is no monitoring of levels of Prozac and other pharmacy residues in our drinking water.'

Experts say that Prozac finds its way into rivers and water systems from treated sewage water. Some believe the drugs could affect their reproductive ability.

European studies have also expressed disquiet over the impact of pharmaceuticals building up in the environment, warning that an effect on wildlife and human health 'cannot be excluded'.

'It is extremely unlikely that there is a risk, as such drugs are excreted in very low concentrations,' a DWI spokesman said. 'Advanced treatment processes installed for pesticide removal are effective in removing drug residues,' he added.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0%2C6903%2C1278760%2C00.html

_{Learning is a treasure which accompanies its owner everywhere.}

GC_MS
(SadoHustler)
08-08-04 08:09
No 524220
User Picture       wildlife

Benzodiazepines can be detected in the water too. I don't know the concentrations though, so it might be possible there aren't any effects, or no measureable effects. Maybe - let's hope not - I am wrong. There is one proven problem though: female hormones. The hormones are not easily biodegraded and turn fish into hermaphrodites.

There's no business like war business

paranoid
(Hive Addict)
08-08-04 16:56
No 524261
User Picture       "Experts say that Prozac finds its way...

"Experts say that Prozac finds its way into rivers and water systems from treated sewage water. Some believe the drugs could affect their reproductive ability."

Hmm... prozac can prevent people from reproducing, eh?

Sounds like a good plan to keep the whinny from having kids to me! smile

(No offence to the users, I'm just being facetious)

My ideal vacation - Juxtaposed along the precipice intersecting reality and fantasy (i.e. wanking).

Fastandbulbous
(Hive Bee)
08-08-04 22:48
No 524311
User Picture       It's not good

First high levels of chemicals that mimic oestrogen in the drinking water causing low sperm counts, now Prozac, which I can attest from personal experience, kills your libido almost as good as castration (exp of Prozac, not castration!). They'll have to start putting amphetamine, testosterone and viagra into the water soon, purely so people have the urge to reproduce. Then they'll need to put Largactil(Thorazine for you in the US) in to control all the psychotic violent outbursts, then procyclidine to control the chemical Parkinsons...

We are so fucked from enviromental sources, why worry about people abusing drugs?

That is right, the Mascara Snake: Fast and bulbous

MargaretThatcher
(Stranger)
08-08-04 22:54
No 524314
User Picture       Female Hormones in drinking water

This is speculated to be a cause of the falling sperm count. But there are a host of hormone analogues in everything from cosmetics to clingfilm. Trousers and y-fronts aren't very good for the family jewels either. Maybe a kilt is the answer.

http://www.margaretthatcher.com/

MargaretThatcher
(Newbee)
08-12-04 09:21
No 525028
User Picture       Bullshit News Story

From the same paper (the Observer is the Sunday Guardian):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/thisweek/story/0%2C12977%2C1280806%2C00.html

Ian Sample
Thursday August 12, 2004
The Guardian

Does your drinking water have Prozac in it?

It's unlikely. While all manner of drugs can be detected in sewage, and in rivers close to sewage outlets, processing the water appears to destroy any residual traces.

Media reports this week claimed that the Environment Agency had found significant levels of the antidepressant Prozac in drinking water, amounting to what some referred to as "mass medication". But the Environment Agency says it has never looked at Prozac. Instead, it attributes the work to Norman Baker, a Liberal Democrat MP with a long-standing interest in the issue.

"There is no research that shows Prozac is in water. There's no analytical data at all," says Tony Lloyd, who runs the water research programme at the Drinking Water Inspectorate. The drug's chances of remaining intact through someone's body, the sewers and then the water treatment system, which is designed to break down persistent pesticides, are negligible, he says. "Prozac is a biodegradable molecule, and while you would expect people to be excreting it and you'd expect it to be in the sewers, you wouldn't expect it to get through sewage treatment."

The Drinking Water Inspectorate doesn't test water for all drugs, but it has looked at whether steroids used in contraceptive pills - considered among the most resilient of drugs - survive the water treatment process. Their equipment, which can detect one nanogramme of drug in a litre, found no traces in drinking water.

Drugs in water courses could be a problem for wildlife. A study by the Environment Agency found significant levels of the painkiller Ibuprofen, but concluded that none of 10 drugs detected was a threat to fish or waterborne insects.

http://www.margaretthatcher.com/

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	All 6 posts		Subject: Stay calm: Prozac's in the drinking water		Please login to post		Down


		Stonium (BEE-OTCH) 08-08-04 07:45 No 524217				Stay calm: Prozac's in the drinking water
						Stay calm everyone, there's Prozac in the drinking water Mark Townsend Sunday August 8, 2004 The Observer It should make us happy, but environmentalists are deeply alarmed: Prozac, the anti-depression drug, is being taken in such large quantities that it can now be found in Britain's drinking water. Environmentalists are calling for an urgent investigation into the revelations, describing the build-up of the antidepressant as 'hidden mass medication'. The Environment Agency has revealed that Prozac is building up both in river systems and groundwater used for drinking supplies. The government's chief environment watchdog recently held a series of meetings with the pharmaceutical industry to discuss any repercussions for human health or the ecosystem. The discovery raises fresh fears that GPs are overprescribing Prozac, Britain's antidepressant of choice. In the decade up to 2001, overall prescriptions of antidepressants rose from nine million to 24 million a year. A recent report by the Environment Agency concluded Prozac could be potentially toxic in the water table and said the drug was a 'potential concern'. However, the precise quantity of Prozac in the nation's water supplies remains unknown. The government's Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) said Prozac was likely to be found in a considerably 'watered down' form that was unlikely to pose a health risk. Dr Andy Croxford, the Environment's Agency's policy manager for pesticides, told The Observer: 'We need to determine the effects of this low-level, almost continuous discharge.' Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat's environment spokesman, said the revelations exposed a failing by the government on an important public health issue. He added that the public should be told if they were inadvertently taking drugs like Prozac. 'This looks like a case of hidden mass medication upon the unsuspecting public,' Baker said. 'It is alarming that there is no monitoring of levels of Prozac and other pharmacy residues in our drinking water.' Experts say that Prozac finds its way into rivers and water systems from treated sewage water. Some believe the drugs could affect their reproductive ability. European studies have also expressed disquiet over the impact of pharmaceuticals building up in the environment, warning that an effect on wildlife and human health 'cannot be excluded'. 'It is extremely unlikely that there is a risk, as such drugs are excreted in very low concentrations,' a DWI spokesman said. 'Advanced treatment processes installed for pesticide removal are effective in removing drug residues,' he added. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0%2C6903%2C1278760%2C00.html _{Learning is a treasure which accompanies its owner everywhere.}



		GC_MS (SadoHustler) 08-08-04 08:09 No 524220				wildlife
						Benzodiazepines can be detected in the water too. I don't know the concentrations though, so it might be possible there aren't any effects, or no measureable effects. Maybe - let's hope not - I am wrong. There is one proven problem though: female hormones. The hormones are not easily biodegraded and turn fish into hermaphrodites. There's no business like war business



		paranoid (Hive Addict) 08-08-04 16:56 No 524261				"Experts say that Prozac finds its way...
						"Experts say that Prozac finds its way into rivers and water systems from treated sewage water. Some believe the drugs could affect their reproductive ability." Hmm... prozac can prevent people from reproducing, eh? Sounds like a good plan to keep the whinny from having kids to me! (No offence to the users, I'm just being facetious) My ideal vacation - Juxtaposed along the precipice intersecting reality and fantasy (i.e. wanking).



		Fastandbulbous (Hive Bee) 08-08-04 22:48 No 524311				It's not good
						First high levels of chemicals that mimic oestrogen in the drinking water causing low sperm counts, now Prozac, which I can attest from personal experience, kills your libido almost as good as castration (exp of Prozac, not castration!). They'll have to start putting amphetamine, testosterone and viagra into the water soon, purely so people have the urge to reproduce. Then they'll need to put Largactil(Thorazine for you in the US) in to control all the psychotic violent outbursts, then procyclidine to control the chemical Parkinsons... We are so fucked from enviromental sources, why worry about people abusing drugs? That is right, the Mascara Snake: Fast and bulbous



		MargaretThatcher (Stranger) 08-08-04 22:54 No 524314				Female Hormones in drinking water
						This is speculated to be a cause of the falling sperm count. But there are a host of hormone analogues in everything from cosmetics to clingfilm. Trousers and y-fronts aren't very good for the family jewels either. Maybe a kilt is the answer. http://www.margaretthatcher.com/



		MargaretThatcher (Newbee) 08-12-04 09:21 No 525028				Bullshit News Story
						From the same paper (the Observer is the Sunday Guardian): http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/thisweek/story/0%2C12977%2C1280806%2C00.html Ian Sample Thursday August 12, 2004 The Guardian Does your drinking water have Prozac in it? It's unlikely. While all manner of drugs can be detected in sewage, and in rivers close to sewage outlets, processing the water appears to destroy any residual traces. Media reports this week claimed that the Environment Agency had found significant levels of the antidepressant Prozac in drinking water, amounting to what some referred to as "mass medication". But the Environment Agency says it has never looked at Prozac. Instead, it attributes the work to Norman Baker, a Liberal Democrat MP with a long-standing interest in the issue. "There is no research that shows Prozac is in water. There's no analytical data at all," says Tony Lloyd, who runs the water research programme at the Drinking Water Inspectorate. The drug's chances of remaining intact through someone's body, the sewers and then the water treatment system, which is designed to break down persistent pesticides, are negligible, he says. "Prozac is a biodegradable molecule, and while you would expect people to be excreting it and you'd expect it to be in the sewers, you wouldn't expect it to get through sewage treatment." The Drinking Water Inspectorate doesn't test water for all drugs, but it has looked at whether steroids used in contraceptive pills - considered among the most resilient of drugs - survive the water treatment process. Their equipment, which can detect one nanogramme of drug in a litre, found no traces in drinking water. Drugs in water courses could be a problem for wildlife. A study by the Environment Agency found significant levels of the painkiller Ibuprofen, but concluded that none of 10 drugs detected was a threat to fish or waterborne insects. http://www.margaretthatcher.com/

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