A recent investigation by the Associated Press in conjunction with a report by the Philadelphia Water Department alarmed many with findings that the city’s tap water contains trace amounts of 56 different substances, including pharmaceuticals, caffeine, and nicotine. To USP’s Dr. Steven Sheaffer, associate professor of clinical pharmacy, the findings are not surprising. He commends the city for its work on identifying the contaminants.
Steven Sheaffer, USP associate professor of clinical pharmacy
“One of the reasons Philadelphia has ‘so many’ drugs in our drinking supply is that the Philadelphia Water Department has been proactive on this matter and actually looked to assess what may be present and at what levels. If other cities had conducted the same level of scrutiny as did Philadelphia, I am confident their results would not be much different than ours.”
Acknowledging that further research is needed on this issue, Dr. Sheaffer applauded the city’s proactive approach saying, “I am pleased that Philadelphia is on the forefront of examining and understanding this issue. They should be commended for this.”
For more information on this issue, including expert advice on properly disposing of medications, please visit this link.