Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Arlington not naming drug found in water supply
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Drink up, Arlington -- there's nothing to fear.
Despite being named on a list of cities nationwide that have had pharmaceutical drugs found in their water supply, Arlington city officials are refusing to name the single drug that was found in the city's treated drinking water.
Mayor Robert Cluck says the drug could be dangerous in larger amounts than were actually found. Several drugs, including one antibiotic, two anti-seizure or anti-convulsant medications, one pain reliever and one minor tranquilizer, were found in extremely small amounts in the city's raw water supply.
I know I'll be rushing over to Arlington to have a glass of water, won't you?
Posted by Alex B.
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Comments
pnewsgal Anonymous
Blechhh...we quit drinking Arlington's tap water a few years ago, opting for Mountain Valley water delivery...urgh..and now am mighty-ding-dong-glad we did.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
In other don't-drink-the-water news (and rumor), I had a conversation with my vet yesterday about local water. Giardia has been working its way through the canine population in our house. In discussing prevention of future outbreaks, our vet told us that he's seen a marked increase of late -- even in multiple cases of indoor cats who never go outside or encounter other animals. He said that could indicate the presence of Giardia lamblia in the water supply.
Drink up!
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Pavel Lishin Verified
pnewsgal, how do you know that Mountain Valley is safe? You're just switching one arbitrary unknown for another. Except now you're paying extra for it.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
DC Anonymous
The infectious dose of giardia lablia is a single spore, humans included. If it was in the water supply in any significant amount, there would be a serious issue.
More likely is fecal transmission. May want to separate the canines / felines litter boxes, clean yard + boxes hourly, wear gloves with them, etc
DAYYMMMNN did you check out the science I was laying on y'all there? Oh well, time to get back to the ones and twos...
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
DC Anonymous
here's an extra 'm' for you spelling freaks
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
pnewsgal Anonymous
I don't know for a fact Pavel, but I do trust the company and I do know I/my family have felt better since we began drinking it. The reason we quit drinking the tap water is it smelled/tasted off. We don't have a house filtration system yet, so the showers always wreak of chlorine. And somehow, drinking from a natural spring sounds more appealing than drinking someone's already been used toilet water compounded with a multitude of known/unknown chemicals.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
DC, I agree with (and am already following) your prescription in our case.
It was the vet's reference to other cases (obviously not laboratory controlled) of animals with no exposure to other animals getting the parasite that brought up the water issue.
Transmission through drinking water is not unheard of:
http://extoxnet.orst.edu/faqs/safedri...
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwR/preview/mmwrh...
I am not saying that's at play here. There's just anecdotal stories from one vet-- Just connected in my weary brain what I heard yesterday in context of this story on water supply.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
DC Anonymous
Oh, the water issue is well defined, I agree. Just sayin' that the water source is unlikely if the other organisms in your house aren't affected.
Maybe your readers should search for "Beaver Fever" and see if they can come up with anything interesting
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Kay Anonymous
Mike,
I would imagine your vet is right on this.
FWIW Found out about a year ago, during the petfood recall horrors, that small animals are harder hit than us larger human-size animals when injesting the same tainted/toxic substance.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Pavel Lishin Verified
pmnesgal, I bet you feel better because you think you ought to. It's a placebo effect. That doesn't make it bad - if you feel great, that's fantastic. Means less stress, which means you'll end up being healthier.
But I'm pretty sure that 90% of bottled water comes from the same sewer that tap does. I don't know about Mountain Valley, but that's only because I don't care.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Kay Anonymous
It's pretty clear, Pavel, you don't know about Mountain Valley water. What isn't clear, is why so much comment on something you admittingly don't care about?
Much of the bottled water is no different/better than local tapwater, however if you were interested you could find out the sources of those that aren't.
Like in many things ... it's always good to "consider the source".
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
DC Anonymous
If you take 'water' to include all water sources, including the pool, swamps, creeks and whatever else you've got, it could be the case that the giardia source is there because the cysts can last for a couple of months in cool water. Even if the pool is cholorinated, it takes relatively high concentrations of cholorine to kill off giardia cysts.
It is very unlikely that the source is the municipal water supply because 25 cysts can give 100% infection rate. Mike's neighborhood would likely be in the midst of an outbreak.
Bottled water is still stupid, by the way.
Close internet explorer, open Traktor.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
pnewsgal Anonymous
Obviously you cared enough to comment, ya know. However, I knew you were going to go there Pavel. Thanks for the confirmation...
Spot on, Kay...
What's stupid, is drinking water that you KNOW is contaminated.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Pavel Lishin Verified
Hey, if you did your research and Mountain Valley is really clean water from a natural source, that's great. It just bothers me when people buy random bottled water from the store "because it's cleaner", when it actually comes from the same tap you're rejecting. So, I care about people being idiots, I guess.
I have a water filter at home, so I care about that, too. I just don't specifically care about Mountain Valley water, in that I don't drink it so I'm not going to research exactly which hobo licks every bottle cap before putting it on the bottle.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
pnewsgal Anonymous
There ya go then.
Anyway you look at it, everyone pays for their water, whether its bottled or not.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
pnewsgal Anonymous
Granted, I don't care for it, but anyone else tasted the water in Arlington?
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Doyle Verified
Anyway you look at it, everyone pays for their water, whether its bottled or not.
You're paying twice, though. =p
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
pnewsgal Anonymous
All in how you look at it really, if you are drinking "iffy" tap water, what are you paying for in your health/healthcare now or later on? More than a few pennies to be sure.
As I haven't researched all bottled waters, but most I have seen are just someone elses tap water, agreed, which I wouldn't drop a dime on.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
xdavidwattsx Anonymous
Bottled water, in general, is no more healthier than tap water and in far too many cases, has been shown to be worse than tap water. Further, when you consider the environmental aspect of all of the wasted plastic that ends up in landfills, bottled water is actually a bit irresponsible when you can clean up your tap water taste with a filter.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Doyle Verified
Interesting reading posted today about the topic, if you're this hardcore about it. How dare you doubt the Water Quality Association!
If you really want to get paranoid, there's plenty of other reading on the subject by the Natural Resources Defense Council (it's a bit dated, 1999, but I've got better crap to do than find the most up to date research on stuff I don't particularly care about). I direct you specifically to Chapter 4: Gaping Holes in Government Bottled Water Regulation:
Our in-depth review indicates that, with few exceptions, federal bottled water regulation is weaker than the tap water regulations facing city water supplies.
Unless you continually research the testing on your precious bottles of water, how can you be so sure it's safer? Fear-mongering, ITT.
I'll assume the risk of tap (filtered or not) and sleep fine while doing it.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
pnewsgal Anonymous
My bottled water is delivered in a 5 gallon GLASS environmentally friendly container, returned and reused.
I buy in glass containers every opportunity. You are correct, plastic IS bad.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
pnewsgal Anonymous
Good for you SD. Your choice. I'm not trying to convert anyone here. I stated my opinion about Arlington's water and my choice NOT to drink it.
Has anybody here tasted Arlington's water besides me?
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Pavel Lishin Verified
Yeah, but think of the gas being burned to deliver that delicious, healthy water. You might as well stab innocent middle easterners, and then launch them into orbit and assemble them into some sort of shield that traps solar heat on earth, melts ice caps, and makes Coca Cola advertising mascots drown.
You're responsible for Coca Cola's eventual bankruptcy. I hope you can sleep with that knowledge.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Doyle Verified
I'd sell Coca Cola stock at the mere thought of it!*
*I own no such stock.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
pnewsgal Anonymous
You crack me up!
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
xdavidwattsx Anonymous
pnewsgirl:
Ironically, I lived in Arlington for 10 years and once had a guy come out to my house trying to sell me this elaborate water filtration system. He tested my tap water and it turned a shade of yellow indicating it was dirty. Then I had him test my bottled water and it came back dirtier than my tap water. Then I told him to leave.
I always thought the tap water tasted fine but it tasted even better when I bought a Brita.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
xdavidwattsx Anonymous
Or maybe they just put crack in the water and I just don't know any better. Oh well. I do know my Lake Highlands water tastes way better than the algae infested water that Plano/Richardson/Frisco, etc has.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Pavel Lishin Verified
Yeah, when the lake turns, you pretty much can't drink the water unless you are a fan of the ol' gagging and dry heaving.
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
pnewsgal Anonymous
xdavidwattsx: I've lived in Arlington for about 20 years and I don't remember the water being noticeably bad back then. But over the years it changed.
Your filtration salesman sounds like the vacuum cleaner guy they used to send around our neighborhood.
Yum...Green water...just in time for St. Paddy's Day...
4 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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