The U.S. Geological Survey unveiled the first-ever study of pharmaceuticals, hormones and other organic waste water-related chemicals in streams across the nation.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) unveiled the first-ever study of pharmaceuticals, hormones and other organic waste water-related chemicals in streams across the nation. And while the findings are significant in their own right, the work points to the need for more research in the future.
Published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the study shows that pharmaceuticals, hormones and other organic wastewater-related chemicals have been detected at very low concentrations in streams across the nation. Many of the chemicals examined (81 of 95) do not have drinking water standards or health advisories. Measured concentrations of compounds that do have standards or criteria rarely exceeded any of them.