Hormone residues from contraceptive pills suspected of entering the environment through wastewater, along with hormone-like substances such as those found in plasticizers in plastics or in certain cleaning agents containing a substance…
Hormone residues from contraceptive pills suspected of entering the environment through wastewater, along with hormone-like substances such as those found in plasticizers in plastics or in certain cleaning agents containing a substance specifically for cleaning silverware, came under suspicion.
The German Medical Journal reported in 2018 in issue 115(22):
"Pharmaceuticals and microcontaminants pollute drinking water and thus potentially threaten the health of the population.
1200 active pharmaceutical ingredients from an annual consumption of approximately 8100 tonnes are considered environmentally relevant and potentially harmful to health. In addition to the 'blockbuster' diclofenac (painkiller), the most widely distributed active ingredients globally include the anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine, the painkiller ibuprofen, the pill hormone ethinylestradiol, and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole." They reached the environment despite treatment plants, because conventional wastewater treatment methods do not remove these substances.
Experts from Berlin's Water Company reported that the prescribed amount of 70 tonnes of a blood pressure lowering medication was found almost completely in the treated water. In drinking water, it was classified as a "human toxicological risk."
Due to manure treatment of meadows and fields, an additional contamination with medications from veterinary medicine occurs – antibiotics, hormones, etc. In fish farming, antibiotics and anthelmintics are discharged directly into surface waters.
A fourth purification stage in treatment plants could counteract all of this contamination. However, to cover the costs of 1.2 billion euros for this, wastewater fees in Germany would need to increase by an average of 17 percent.
The German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) sees less the pharmaceutical consumers as the culprits, but rather the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, according to the BDEW's conception, the pharmaceutical industry should pay a levy on its products, which would benefit wastewater disposal operators.
The German Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (BPI), however, remains evasive on this idea: "Water protection is a joint responsibility; all parties involved share equal responsibility here."
According to estimates by the pharmaceutical industry, the main sources of human pharmaceuticals in surface water are patient excretion (88 %), improper disposal via toilet and sink (10 %), and manufacturing processes (2 %). According to the Medical Journal, two very concerning trends are associated with this: the increasing spread of multidrug-resistant microorganisms and the increase in fertility disorders.
Forecast according to the Medical Journal: As a result of aging society with increased medication consumption, the contamination of water bodies will continue to increase further. However, there are no widely applicable solutions for their elimination to date.
Thus, for years there has been a considerable problem that water suppliers cannot control with existing technology despite their successful elimination of 95% of organic substances.
Those who wish to supply themselves with truly clean, pure drinking water can only achieve this by taking private precautions. After all, an 80-year-old body must process approximately 50,000 litres of water over the course of its lifetime when consuming 2 litres of liquid per day. Reverse osmosis filters can retain residues from pharmaceuticals, biocides, pesticides, detergents and cleaning agents, viruses, microplastics and many other substances that find their way into our tap water. A high-quality water purification system such as at truu.com, can even do far more than that.
What are PFAS:
https://www.bmuv.de/faqs/per-und-polyfluorierte-chemikalien-pfas
Further information on the importance of clean, toxin- and contaminant-free water for all life can be found at: 💧https://t.me/truuinfochannel