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STAR Grantees Featured in Discover Magazine
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
NCER Staff Writer
WASHINGTON (NCER) - The
January 2003 issue of Discover
magazine 
features the on-going research conducted by Dr.
Lynn Roberts and Dr. Edward Bouwer, both STAR grantees at Johns Hopkins
University. In its special "The Year in Science" issue, Discover
highlights the work of Drs. Roberts and Bouwer on pharmaceuticals and
antiseptics in drinking water as one of the top stories of the year. Their
research tops the list as the number 8 story.
The Discover article entitled "Drinking Water Drugged" focuses
on the water
monitoring study
published in Environmental Science and Technology by the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS) in March 2002. USGS scientists measured the concentrations
of 95 organic wastewater contaminants in water samples from a network
of 139 streams across 30 states during 1999 and 2000. The scientists found
82 contaminants at generally low concentrations in 80% of the sampled
streams.
The chemicals represented a wide range of residential, industrial, and agricultural origins and uses. Some of the most frequently detected compounds were cholesterol (plant and animal steroid), N,N-diethyltoluamide (insect repellant), caffeine (stimulant), triclosan (antimicrobial disinfectant), tri(2-chloroethyl)phosphate (fire retardant), and 4-nonylphenol (nonionic detergent metabolite).
This work was especially important since many of these chemicals do not have drinking water guidelines, and we do not know whether mixtures of these chemicals could have an effect on human health or the environment.
Dr. Roberts and Dr. Bouwer are working to determine if non-hormonal, non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals and antiseptics exist in surface waters, sewage treatment plant effluents, and even in drinking water in the United States. Recent European studies have revealed the existence of these chemicals but, so far, information in the U.S. is virtually nonexistent.
This research will also provide us with exposure information needed to assess whether pharmaceuticals and antiseptics are having any effects on humans or the ecosystem. Their results will also be helpful in indicating whether natural processes can remove these organic micropollutants.
For more information on the STAR program, visit: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/.
To learn more about Dr. Roberts' and Dr. Bouwer's research, see:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDetail/abstract/1061/report/0.