What Pharmaceuticals Have Been Found?
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) first reported the presence of pharmaceuticals in streams across the U.S. in 1999-2000. In the largest study to date, from 2007-2012, the USGS and the EPA examined the presence of pharmaceuticals in source water and treated drinking water across the U.S. (Furlong et al., 2017). In phase II of the study, samples were analyzed for 118 pharmaceuticals, with 47 pharmaceuticals detected in all source water samples at a median concentration of 14.2 nanograms/liter (ng/L = parts per trillion). The most frequently identified pharmaceuticals in source water were lithium, sulfamethoxazole, metoprolol, carbamazepine, estrone, and hydrochlorthiazide. In treated water, 25 pharmaceuticals were detected, with lithium, bupropion, metoprolol, carbamazeprine, and cotinine most frequently detected at a median concentration of 10.6 ng/L. Treatment processes appeared to be effective in reducing concentrations of most pharmaceuticals.