Prozac in drinking water supply

[Wolfie]

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.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0...1278793,00.html

Makes me want to switch bottled water full time. :bigsmile:

[Ken]

I don't understand.

Current water purification systems don't take that which makes up Prozac out of the water?

[Shawn]

describing the build-up of the antidepressant as 'hidden mass medication'

Frightening idea.

[Kooperman]

This may go a long way in explaining the brutal murder of Mr. Jip.....I suspect he had discovered this and had to be eliminated, being replaced by that pod person, jipper.

[Ken]

I guess treatment methods don't eliminate residual quantities.

The amount, apparently, is very very very low, but people worry about a "build up" of sorts and long term effects.

[joeyz]

The current drinking water purification/filtering wouldn't remove such substances from the water. They use aluminum sulfate as a coagulant that causes flocculent (which causes the particles in the water to come together dirt, other organic matter, bacteria,...etc.) This flocculent then sinks to the bottom of a basin where it is eventually emptied into a settling pond. The "clear" water on the top of this basin is then sent through a large multiphase filter to get all the small particles out. Since these filters are not capable of straining really small particals/bacteria out.. chlorine must be added to kill what the filter can't get.. and if we can't even filter out all the bacteria (cryptospirilliam for instance) there's no way we could keep certain chemical compound from contaminating our drinking water. It's really shocking how simple/unsophisticated drinking water purification is today... if a mad man wanted to dump a tractor trailer truck full of liquid prozac into a water treatment plant... the water would pass through undetected......until the good towns people got a good swaller :D

Edited August 9, 2004 by joeyz

[DudeAsInCool]

In addition to Mr. Jip, this also explains Malcious Intent's passive behavior as of late. Apparently Stuzb has not been drinking the water...

[Umma]

In addition to Mr. Jip, this also explains Malcious Intent's passive behavior as of late.  Apparently Stuzb has not been drinking the water...

:taskmaster:

[slum_goddess]

Apparently Stuzb has not been drinking the water...

LMAO, wait, i'll tell him.