Health Effects of Pharmaceuticals in the Water Supply: A Knowledge Synthesis

S Lam
University of Guelph: Master of Public Health

• Pharmaceuticals are chemicals found in prescription medicine, over-the-counter drugs and veterinary drugs
• Trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are found in drinking water in the low ng/L range
• Conventional drinking water treatment processes are not able to remove pharmaceuticals to non-detectable levels
• The most frequently detected pharmaceuticals in drinking water include carbamazepine, ibuprofen and gemfibrozil
• The current level of exposure to pharmaceuticals in drinking water is unlikely to have an adverse health effect
• The impact of chronic low level exposures to individual and mixture of pharmaceutical substances on human health is poorly known