Prozac Found in Britain's Drinking Water

[Guest guest]

Greetings all,

Sorry for the long post below but I thought it was important to share and

the link to the story might not be available at a later time, so...

Regards,

Holly

Report: Prozac Found in Britain's Drinking Water

Sun Aug 8, 7:48 AM ET Add Top Stories - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Traces of the anti-depressant Prozac have been found in

Britain's drinking water supply, setting off alarm bells with

environmentalists concerned about potentially toxic effects.

The Observer newspaper said Sunday that a report by the government's

environment watchdog found Prozac was building up in river systems and

groundwater used for drinking supplies.

The exact quantity of Prozac in the drinking water was unknown, but the

Environment Agency's report concluded Prozac could be potentially toxic in

the water table.

Experts say that Prozac finds its way into rivers and water systems from

treated sewage water, and some believe the drugs could affect reproductive

ability.

A spokesman for Britain's Drinking Water Inspectorate said Prozac was likely

to be found in a considerably watered down form that was unlikely to pose a

health risk.

" It is extremely unlikely that there is a risk, as such drugs are excreted

in very low concentrations, " the spokesman said. " Advanced treatment

processes installed for pesticide removal are effective in removing drug

residues. "

But environmentalists called for an urgent investigation into the findings.

Norman Baker, environment spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, said it

looked " like a case of hidden mass medication upon the unsuspecting public. "

" It is alarming that there is no monitoring of levels of Prozac and other

pharmacy residues in our drinking water, " he told the Observer.

The Environment Agency has held a series of meetings with the pharmaceutical

industry to discuss any repercussions for human health or the ecosystem, the

Observer said.

Prescription of anti-depressants has surged in Britain. In the decade up to

2001, overall prescriptions of antidepressants rose from 9 million to 24

million a year, the paper said.