Do you water your vegetable garden with recycled city water? If so, you may be eating pharmaceutical contaminants that accumulate in your food.
A recent study by the American Chemical Society published by Chemistry and Engineering News shows that “eating vegetables grown using reclaimed water boosts urine levels of carbamazepine, an anti-epileptic drug commonly detected in wastewater” meaning that anyone who consumes this produce is exposed to the carbamazepine drug in detectable dosages.
The drug can enter waterways in a multitude of ways, from drain disposal of unused medication, excretion through the urinary tract of those who consume it, and even water that is disposed of by facilities that produce drugs. Since the carbamazepine drug is transmittable through the waterway, this has sparked the attention of agricultural workers who utilize large amounts of water for their crop irrigation systems.
The study utilized “34 healthy volunteers” in Israel where much of the water is recycled. The volunteers were instructed to eat their normal amounts and types of vegetation that are normally consumed on a daily basis. For the first week, they were given produce grown using organic water. The second week, they ate food grown with the treated wastewater. Those who were exposed to the repurposed water had higher carbamazepine levels in their urine as opposed to those who were exposed to produce grown with organic water.
The idea of drug consumption, of any degree, showing up in urine tests is something that alarms many people. For those who do not directly use the drug, the fact that carbamazepine (a mood stabilizer) shows up in their urine is something concerning, especially with the amount of corporations and businesses that implement mandatory drug tests into their hiring and housekeeping processes. Though any level of drugs in the body must be assessed, the amount that shows on the urine test report is, “four orders of magnitude away from levels of if you were taking the drug.”
Since there are still reports and tests being performed to understand long-term effects in groups such as women, children, the elderly, and vegetarians, the findings have caused some discomfort. It should be noted that carbamazepine is not the only rogue drug found in city water. A host of other pharmaceuticals, and even narcotics like cocaine, are routinely detected in public water supplies. But this is one of the first studies to show that these trace chemicals get into our food supply.
Between studies like these and the news that aging water systems like in Flint, Michigan contain dangerous levels of lead, Americans have been looking for ways to use water that has been untampered with by chemicals and drugs. A recent poll showed that half of all Americans do not trust their tap water.
What can be done to lessen the exposure to contaminants in water?
Gardeners who live in cities where water is recycled would be safer relying on rainwater as much as possible. Applying heavy mulch to gardens will retain much of the natural rainfall for longer periods of time. Additionally, collecting rainwater in barrels at the end of downspouts from roofs is another great option to trap feral water for future use.
The decision to continue to consume water and vegetation exposed to drugs such as carbamazepine and other substances depends upon the individual and the degree of the toll you believe it will take on your health. For drinking water, it’s best to use a high-quality water filter. Bathing is another issue altogether. You may consider installing a whole house filter or at least a shower unit.
Natural and Non-Toxic Products. Up to 50% Off – Every Day (Ad)
Steven Maxwell writes for ActivistPost.com where this article first appeared. You may share or repost in full with attribution and source link.
Rainwater has heavy metals and other garbage from geoengineering, pick your poison.
My thoughts exactly. Damned if ya do, damned if ya don’t. And unfortunately RO filtration systems are not economically feasible for most people.
A high quality carbon filter will take out most of the contaminants in rainwater. Will not take out fluoride though. We have two 1550 gallon water tanks attached to the house & one inch of rain puts 500gal in each. They are gravity fed [built on an elevated pad] but recently we pulled a spa tub pump from a bathroom remodel and the next step will be to attach it so we can run a sprinkler so I don’t have to manually move the hose. Keep in mind that some states tyrannically prohibit rainwater collection.
Go to http://www.findaspring.com for free potable water if you live in the city. An under the sink RO system is expensive but can be financed & in the long run saves a ton of money & saves on medical bills for family & pets. Can be routed thru your icemaker too. Culligan [buy a quality one] will install for toal fee of $850.
There is a new shower head filter just out [patent pending ] that has independent water tests showing that it removes fluoride & pharmaceuticals that I am currently testing out. Breathing the steam from fluoride & chloramines is even worse than drinking it so this is important especially for the most sensitive populations. The company is http://www.gopropur.com and they also have a counter top system that removes F without using RO & wasting water[cheaper too] . I am not affiliated .
Thanks for the info. , much appreciated.
Indeed thank you for that information and for pointing out that rainwater is not always legal to collect or better. I have been going back and forth over a whole house RO system and appreciate your non-affiliated links.
There are no whole house RO systems. The whole house systems you read about are multiple layers of carbon, KDP and sometimes alumina followed by another carbon filter. Because RO does not work under a pressurized system by seeps through a membrane it takes time ,wastes water & would have to be stored in a huge tank costing thousands.
Don’t get me wrong the regular whole house filter is good for many pollutants just not fluoride & some of the other smaller stuff. Of course getting your municipality to just turn off the fluoride would be the best way [& save the taxpayers millions] to preserve our health . Go to http://www.fluoridealert.org for all the info you will ever need to know about F from real scientists and why it is not a dental miracle but a “hazardous waste disposal scheme of industry”.
Also go to http://www.slweb.org and click on the FTRC link for a list of 300+ mainstream pharmaceuticals that are “enhanced” with fluoride to avoid that have long term cumulative & permanent side effects.
There *are* whole house R.O. water systems and I’ve witnessed them being installed on the multi-million dollar estates here in sunny California. Yes, they waste 2-3 gallons for every “clean” gallon of water, but when you can afford a 10 million dollar estate, what’s a few thousand? Any household can get an R.O. unit for under the sink off Ebay for a couple hundred dollars. Buy 2 years of filters at the same time.
Semantics. There are no affordable RO WHF. The RO systems for $ 2-300 are substandard. Not only will they not last or do as good a job; the membranes are susceptable to melting in the warmer water in the southern half of USA and will actually GROW bacteria on it the as they break down . This from a class seven water analyst who writes the tests for the national standards.
Thanks for all the info, appreciate it!
Satanic economic system doesn’t care about our health, nature, animals and life. It’s all about profit and money!
That’s why we need a parallel economic system based on GIFTING & SHARING where no profit can be generated! Thus, a man can not be bought and sold for a month salary.
FREE WATER, FREE FOOD, FREE SPACE, FREE GOLD… to all 7 billion people = all for FREE to all = working out passion for FREE for GIFTING = abundance to people = personal sovereignty to each individual = healing of corruption and criminals (no one can steal when all is for free)= abundance to people = elite must fail when no profit and no hierarchical structure is there any more… we win!
Here is health for FREE: google: RAW VEGAN DIET and know Pythagoras (who was a SERB) ate only raw vegan food = this is the secret of a perfect health and extraordinary longevity – know, Vitamin B12 can be found in cacao beans (chocolate)! All physical, genetic and mental desordes can be healed through right diet:
-fruits for braekfast
-salads with oil from cold pression (no rafinide oil) and lemon jiuce (no sauces) for lunch
-nuts, almonds… for dinner
Before breakfast go for a walk and hear harp music (like Pythagoras did)
Google: GIFT ECONOMY – help build a better world – turn all our lands into a FREE garden that is paradise (paradise is lost only if you believe it)
Yeah ! OK But You Did Not mention” The Chemtrails Poisons Even In Rivers & Lakes.
I’ve lived in Germany – their tap water is undrinkable
If the German tap water is undrinkable then the American tap water can probably only be used for washing the car – if it is not new.
I’ve been in the Washington area your tap water is really undrinkable.
Get a R.O. system for drinking water, install it under your kitchen sink. Use that water for consumption. Within 3 months, I change out all my filters and the pre-filter looks a dark brown rusty color. This would be filtered out by my bodies organs…..IF I didn’t have that nice filter getting rid of the nasty crap in the public drinking water system. To each their own belief system, I prefer facts.