Monday, March 10, 2008

Maybe It's the Water

Thirty years ago my brother and I were discussing cancer's prevalence. He joked, "Someday they'll track the cause to something common, like tap water." We chuckled.

My son Ben sent me this e-mail today:

"Just when you think it's safe to drink the water!!!

This stuff is really getting out of hand."

He added this link.
Maybe this could be the answer to high-priced medicines? Skip the drugs, just drink the water?

Talk about recycling...

But be comforted. "We recognize it is a growing concern, and we're taking it very seriously," Benjamin H. Grumbles, the EPA's assistant administrator for water, said of the drugs' presence. 

Worries begone. They're taking it seriously.

Hmm....

11 comments:

Wandering Coyote said...

You are the second blogger today I've visited who's posted on this!

Gardenia did a post here.

None of this surprises me!

Anonymous said...

Is it any wonder that we now have antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Cherie said...

WC - Thanks for the link to Gardenia's post. Like you I don't find it surprising, but it's unsettling to say the least.

Tom - aka Anonymous - You're so smart! I hadn't put two and two together, but you did. Good connection you made there. Are we killing ourselves or what??!!

tshsmom said...

I wonder if there's even a way for them to remove the drugs from our water supply?

Tom made a brilliant point! I think a lot more studying needs to go into this phenomenon.

Cherie said...

Tshs, even chlorine won't remove the drugs and may even make some of them more toxic according to the article. I, too, wonder what can possibly remove them?

And to think we've been told to drink drink drink quarts of water a day for our health and for what? This? Sounds like something out of a futuristic science fiction novel.

I agree that Tom's point is quite brilliant, and I hope there are people studying it. What a mess!

Alan said...

Why am I not surprised, god have I?
Yes I have become cynical, so much so, I would ask what other contents is there-in also harmful to us.
I'm so sad about the whole world these days. Making profit, dealing in the God's Temple never really went away did it? (an I don't mean in the city of central Texas south of Fort Worth) Ha! ;-)

cecily said...

http://www.amonline.net.au/factSheets/huntsman_spiders.html check this one out for spiders (if the girls are interested... because Cherie, I wouldn't recommend this site. The pictures creep me out!) Now I'm off to check out your link. :D

cecily said...

In Tasmania we have the problem of agricultural and forestry chemicals leeching into our waterways. Industry pretends it isn't a problem, but some areas cannot drink the local water. We are seriously looking at getting a heavy duty filter. I've also heard that women's contraceptive pills are causing problems to fish in waterways... scary stuff. (And as to the antibiotics, I always squirt the left overs at work into a non-permeable container that doesn't go near water, just in case!)

What a crazy, big, sad mess we've made of things!

Sandy said...

Tom's point is great, but I don't think they'll ever admit it.

It only makes sense, they tell us not to throw our drugs in the garbage, they said through the old drugs down the toilet. Now that everyone has done that...surprised?

Gardenia said...

Thanks for stopping by! Great minds think alike, huh? LOL. Seriously, it would be the first time I saw EPA move right away - check the water 50 years from now.

Cherie said...

Sean: It's easy to become cynical, hard to be optimistic, true true. Maybe in the little things one can find a bit of control and safety, sort of.

"Making profit, dealing in the God's Temple never really went away did it?" - and I don't think it ever will.

Cecily: I went to the website while Tom, Cassie, AND Caroline were in the room and we had a blast looking up stuff in your area. Will return when we have more time. Tom likes your spider. We have trouble with our waterways, too. So sad. I'm proud of you for being a conscientious nurse. I thought of you when we were in the ER today while Joe was passing a kidney stone (OUCH!!). I thought of you because I wanted you to come and help us as the nurses were too busy flirting with the cute doctors to help us. They apologized for the long wait - hours in that little room - but still. I said, "We could sure benefit from having Cecily here now." :D

Sandy - Makes no sense whichever way you study it. Throw the drugs in the toilet and then OOPS! Don't do THAT. For cryin' out loud....

Gardenia: Hey, thanks to you, too for the visit! I'm thinking 50 years is about right, maybe a bit premature for them.....we're pretty much on our own, aren't we?