Does Reverse Osmosis Remove Pharmaceuticals from Water?
Written by: Alexandra Uta // Last Updated: Mar 31, 2023
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Pharmaceuticals can help you fight persistent infections and alleviate other diseases.
But you probably don’t want traces of their compounds floating around in your drinking water, especially if you are not even sick.
Unfortunately, drug runoff ends up in our water supplies every single day!
If you already have a reverse osmosis system in place (or are planning on getting one!), you might wonder whether RO can remove pharmaceuticals from your water. Read on to find out!
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Key Takeaways
- Reverse osmosis removes drug residues from water, and it does so very effectively (up to 99% reduction rates).
Does Reverse Osmosis Remove Pharmaceuticals from Water?
So, does reverse osmosis remove pharmaceuticals from water? Yes, reverse osmosis does remove pharmaceuticals.
The Water Quality Association confirms that households with a decent filtration system consume safer water that is cleaner, healthier, and free of drug residues. But what do they mean by a decent filtration system?
Well, many water filtration methods can successfully remove dirt, bacteria, and even viruses from a water supply. However, nothing compares to the effectiveness of a reverse osmosis system.
How Much of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Can Reverse Osmosis Remove?
According to the WHO, reverse osmosis has been proven to remove up to 99% of targeted pharmaceuticals compounds found in water.
Not only that, but the RO membrane is capable of removing as tiny as .0001-micron traces. That keeps the water free from all sorts of contaminants, which is an excellent reason for installing a reverse osmosis system.
What Drugs Are Found in Our Water Supplies These Days?
Studies and intensive trials have found traces of antibiotics, hormones, anticonvulsants, antiepileptic drugs, mood stabilizers, and many other over-the-counter pills found in water.
Before you hit the panic button, remember that most of these chemical traces are insignificant and lower than ten nanograms per liter. However, some drugs can be found in higher concentrations. For instance, if you drink unfiltered tap water for one year, you could take a full dose of lisinopril – a type of blood pressure medication.
Although these tiny doses don’t impose an immediate threat, the long-term effect of slowly ingesting traces of pharmaceuticals is yet unmeasured and unknown. And besides, with the EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) confirming the presence of 56 active pharmaceutical ingredients in 50 large wastewater treatment plants (including atenolol, metoprolol, and carbamazepine in 90% of the samples), our best bet is to err on the safe side and filter our water.
How Do They Get in?
Many are shocked to find out about the presence of pharmaceuticals in their home water. But it is a scary reality that is unfortunately on the rise. Currently, trace doses of medication are found in the water supply of 41 million Americans, according to an AP (Associated Press) investigation.
But how come pharmaceuticals are seeping into our tap water?
Human Waste
Although unaware of it, in theory, we ourselves are the main culprit for allowing medicaments to find their way into our water supply.
When a medication is ingested, there is always a tiny portion of the drug that doesn’t get metabolized. For most medications, our bodies metabolize only 90% of the substances. The other 10% gets excreted from our bodies as waste.
This waste is then flushed down the toilet or washed down the drain. Either way, this human waste ends up in the septic or sewage system and then leaks into lakes, streams, and rivers or sips into the soil. And since most communities get their water supply from ground or surface water, it is no surprise to have traces of medication present.
And that’s the part that most people are unaware of. You think that just because the community water systems filter and purify the drinking water, you are consuming clean water. In reality, the current water treatment processes are not designed to eliminate all medication byproducts.
Other Human Activity
When we shower, shave, or even go for a swim, we also increase the chance of chemicals ending up in the soil or into surface waters. Not only because we use chemically loaded creams, shampoos, and lotions but also because a smaller part of the pharmaceuticals that don’t get metabolized gets excreted through our sweat.
Improper Disposal
Unfortunately, most pharmaceutical contaminants in our drinking water come from improper disposal. The pollution from the pharmaceutical industry is still cloaked with mystery because not all companies disclose clear details of their activities. However, thanks to the rise of studies and investigations, more and more researchers are involved in examining the byproducts in wastewater treatment plants.
But we regular consumers are also guilty of improper disposal. When we flush medications down the toilet, their active and/or persistent compounds end up in our water supply.
Further Reading:
Agribusiness
Another significant concern for the safety of our drinking water is the agriculture business. Since many antibiotics and other medications are administered to animals regularly, it is no surprise that traces of drugs can seep into the ground through fertilizers.
Even more shocking is the fact that animal-feeding waste is also loaded with pharmaceuticals, including caffeine, acetaminophen, carbamazepine, cotinine, etc.
Residue from Healthcare Facilities
Similarly, residue from healthcare facilities such as hospitals or veterinary ambulances can also find its way into our water supply, and not only through their wastewater. It is not uncommon for syringes and other sharp disposable items to pierce the linings of biohazard bags and allow for toxins to end up in the ground or surface water.
Activated Carbon
Activated carbon can be a cost-effective treatment alternative for pharmaceutical residues in water. It can remove more than 90% of medication traces and can be a great backup filter you can rely on.
Good news is, today’s reverse osmosis systems for home use all come with at least 1 carbon pre-filter and one carbon post- filter.
If you have any thoughts about the question, does reverse osmosis remove drugs from water, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Alexandra Uta
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