Cotinine, Other Prescription Drugs, Found in U.S. Drinking Water

Cotinine, along with many other pharmaceutical drugs, was discovered in trace amounts in several watersheds across the country. As of now, it is not thought that these trace amounts will cause much damage to individuals drinking normal amounts of tap water, though little is known at this point. According to the Associated Press, these drugs or drug byproducts were found in the watersheds of 28 major metropolitan areas including New York City and Philadelphia.

According to Wikipedia, cotinine is a metabolite and anagram of nicotine. The drug is thought to impact the development of Alzheimer's disease.

For those who drink tap water regularly, this proves disturbing news. If you're like me, and prefer bottled water . . . well, the news isn't that much better. According to a CNN news report, some bottled water is little more than reprocessed tap water. This suggests that drinkers of either supply of water are at some risk for coming into contact with these drugs.

That the drugs were found in only trace amounts in the watersheds seems to suggest, in my mind, that the issue is not one to be too worried about. News sources have stated that the authorities on the matter have already suggested that, while they take the matter seriously, they have no reason to suspect that these trace amounts will cause any serious damage. Perhaps if someone were to mercilessly guzzle water in unprecedented amounts, they might face an issue; then again, they'd be facing some other issues as well, like water poisoning. For people like me, who are lucky to get their eight glasses a day as suggested -- I'm the first to admit I'm not a big water-drinker -- the problem seems little more than one in a million tiny news particles to digest and forget in a week.