Pharmaceuticals found in drinking water

By Santa Clara Valley Water District | Mercury News

March 17, 2008 at 7:39 p.m.

DRUG TRACES IN DRINKING WATER

During tests in 2002 and 2003, the Santa Clara Valley Water District detected trace levels of pharmaceuticals in water from the delta heading to local drinking-water plants. Other cities have found similar compounds in water. Whether they pose a health risk is unclear.

Chemical	Common uses	Level
Ibuprofen	Painkiller used in Advil	0.025 ppb
Gemfibrozil	Cholesterol drug	0.188 ppb
Naproxen	Painkiller used in Alleve	0.040 ppb
Ketoprofen	Arthritis drug	.036 ppb
Estrone	Hormone in birth control pills	1.1 ppt
17B-estradiol	Hormone in birth control pills	1.8 ppt
Nonylphenol/octylphenol	Detergent, contraceptives	0.041 ppb