Pharmaceuticals in the Water: A Perfect Storm?

[undergroundpanther]

Pharmaceuticals in the Water: A Perfect Storm? Green Chemistry

This week, the Second International Symposium on Green Processing in the Pharmaceutical and Fine Chemical Industries was held at Yale University in New Haven. The event brought together some of the finest minds working in green chemistry today, from industry, academia and government.

Discussing the problem were Peterson Myers, CEO at Environmental Health Sciences and coauthor of "Our Stolen Future," Nicholas Anastas, a scientist from Massachusetts DEP, and Duane Huggett from the University of North Texas' Institute of Applied Sciences.

Several attendees noted that some drug companies, notably Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Merck, have already come up with detailed databases and that this work is ongoing. (Yes, but it's also voluntary...and we cynics know what can happen with voluntary industry programs that aren't universally embraced) Concerns were aired that this may ultimately prove to be a "non-issue," and wouldn't it be a shame if overly prescriptive measures were taken. Panelists also discussed new ways of analyzing impacts that could form the basis of future regulations.

Looming Water Shortages and the "Tamoxifen Effect"
Mr. Myers sees the issue becoming "a perfect storm" for the industry, driven by global water shortages and the fact that "21st century endocrinology is beginning to replace 16th-century toxicology" as the method for gauging impact. "It won't go away," ne noted. As Nicholas Anastas later asked, channeling Rumi, "Do you want to be the moth or the flame?" (He was asking the wrong crowd, though. These were scientists, who generally pursue the truth, however unpalatable it may be. Perhaps the question should be directed to the C-level at top executive meetings.)He then mentioned non-monotonic dose response curves, and what some studies have seen with Tamoxifen, the breast cancer drug. At the right concentration levels, the drug can destroy cancer cells, but at lower concentrations, some studies have found that it may stimulate the growth of tumors! "The regulatory system is blind to this type of effect," he said. "And we may find that some pharmaceuticals in our drinking water follow these same curves."

Mr. Hugget from Texas noted the strains on Dallas' water system, and the Trinity River which, at one point is 90% effluent. Given that the local population is expected to double by 2050, people will eventually have to use recycled water. He also mentioned a recent Warsaw meeting in which 89 presentations focused on pharmaceuticals in the environment, as well as the data from India, published in Chemical Week and C&EN, which found extremely high levels of drugs in manufacturing effluents.

http://community.pharmamanufacturing.com/content/pharmaceuticals-water-perfect-storm-green-chemistry-event-opens-discussion

The chemical/drug companies they know what is happening to our water...

[Altoid_Cyclist]

1. I used to work for a chemical Manufacturing & Distribution Co. in Connecticut.

Two of our biggest customers were American Cyanamid & Ciba Geigy.

The people at AC used to laugh about their ability to expand their plants more easily due to the discount rates on property around their plants. Of course, they laughed when they explained that the reason was because so many residents near their plants developed cancer or other life threatening diseases. They said that once enough people got sick and/or died, the property could be bought cheaply because people just wanted to get the hell away from the plant. They were actually able to laugh about this!

Back then, the thought was that Ciba would do things the correct way since they were a foreign owned company and thereby more socially responsible. The Toms River investigation dispelled that notion in a hurry.

After seeing how much death and environmental destruction was being done just in the tri-state area (CT NY & NJ), I can only imagine what these companies were and are still doing worldwide.

I'm still waiting for an American version of Bhopal to happen. That might be the only thing that finally makes people realize what these companies are doing to all of us.

It seems as though all that you hear now is that another water system is producing mutant fish, frogs and other aquatic life forms that haven't been seen before.

Better living through chemistry???

[Enthusiast]

2. Confused sexual identity.

"Oh but homosexuality is a choice."

[Enthusiast]

3. Sorry, dupe. nt

[ensho]

4. the damage that is being done to humans and all life is horrible

the news on this problem is just revving up.

while the pollution is growing.