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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Arthur Gibson on August 8, 2004, at 3:04:54
"Traces of the anti-depressant Prozac can be found in the (British) nation's drinking water, it has been revealed. An Environment Agency report suggests so many people are taking the drug nowadays it is building up in rivers and groundwater."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3545684.stm
- Could this be the answer? Move to the UK to permanantly cure your depression?
Posted by flipsactown on August 8, 2004, at 4:25:08
In reply to Prozac in British drinking water!!, posted by Arthur Gibson on August 8, 2004, at 3:04:54
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3545684.stm
>
> - Could this be the answer? Move to the UK to permanantly cure your depression?Providing one has not already experienced poop out factor.
FST
Posted by crazychickuk on August 8, 2004, at 7:21:21
In reply to Re: Prozac in British drinking water!! » Arthur Gibson, posted by flipsactown on August 8, 2004, at 4:25:08
lmao... what will they come up with next...
Posted by linkadge on August 8, 2004, at 9:11:01
In reply to Re: Prozac in British drinking water!!, posted by crazychickuk on August 8, 2004, at 7:21:21
There are also lots of birth controll pills, statins, and other drugs in the drinking water in some areas.
Linkadge
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 8, 2004, at 9:22:13
In reply to Re: Prozac in British drinking water!!, posted by linkadge on August 8, 2004, at 9:11:01
I recall reading an article about a year ago that mentioned remnants of practically every commonly prescribed drug in drinking water all over the U.S. as well. Far too minute amounts to make the slightest difference to practically anyone, though.
~Michael
Posted by crazychickuk on August 8, 2004, at 9:43:39
In reply to Re: Prozac in British drinking water!!, posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 8, 2004, at 9:22:13
ewwwwwa .. all those junkies with aids and all those people flushing extasy and speed etc down the toilet... ewwwwwa darn!! thank god for the kettle and brita filter jug !!
Posted by Larry Hoover on August 8, 2004, at 12:28:30
In reply to Prozac in British drinking water!!, posted by Arthur Gibson on August 8, 2004, at 3:04:54
> "Traces of the anti-depressant Prozac can be found in the (British) nation's drinking water, it has been revealed. An Environment Agency report suggests so many people are taking the drug nowadays it is building up in rivers and groundwater."
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3545684.stm
>
> - Could this be the answer? Move to the UK to permanantly cure your depression?The British loony press is really going to town with fear-mongering hyperbole, this time. The only thing special about this finding is that our methods of detection have become so sensitive that part-per-trillion detection is now possible. The simple detail that the Prozac concentration has been described as "trace" means it is at the so-called limit of detection. You can say there's some, but you can't quantify the detection signal.
In order to get anything close to a therapeutic dose of Prozac, one would have to drink about three Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water, every day. I can't see that happening.
Of far greater concern are other substances in the drinking water, that come out the "other end" of sewage treatment plants. The synthetic estrogen in birth control pills is completely unaffected by the aerobic and anaerobic bacterial degradation in STPs, and has been proven to have feminizing effects on e.g. fish in the rivers of Britain. Just google gender-benders, or xenoestrogens, or testis-ova. The latter is male fish producing ova in their testes, due to exposure to STP effluent.
Ack! Back to <vacation mode>
Lar
Posted by Larry Hoover on August 9, 2004, at 15:55:25
In reply to Prozac in British drinking water!!, posted by Arthur Gibson on August 8, 2004, at 3:04:54
http://www.dwi.gov.uk/pressrel/2004/pr0304.shtm
I always try to find the primary source for the information contained in lay press articles, and I could not find the original scientific report for this one. That's because there never was such a report. The whole thing is a fabrication.
Lar
Posted by sb417 on August 9, 2004, at 22:23:29
In reply to Re: It's a friggin hoax! » Arthur Gibson, posted by Larry Hoover on August 9, 2004, at 15:55:25
Thanks for posting that, Larry. Unfortunately, as of tonight, it is still being reported by http://www.reuters.co.uk and other respected news organizations. They need to log onto PB and read your post.
Posted by Larry Hoover on August 15, 2004, at 13:43:21
In reply to Re: It's a friggin hoax! » Larry Hoover, posted by sb417 on August 9, 2004, at 22:23:29
> Thanks for posting that, Larry. Unfortunately, as of tonight, it is still being reported by http://www.reuters.co.uk and other respected news organizations. They need to log onto PB and read your post.
I posted from a vacation situation; I didn't seriously investigate the story until I got home, but I'll summarize my findings for you.
The technical report which seems to be the basis for the Observer/Guardian article that started this whole thing is available online, at:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/105385/p601206trv2_578719.pdfThere was no analysis of fluoxetine (Prozac) undertaken for this study. There is not even an accepted method for detecting Prozac in water. The other major consideration is that the study did not assess either drinking water or groundwater. It studied sewage treatment plant outfall, and downstream concentrations in the receiving rivers.
There was no antidepressant detected in the study, and certainly, no Prozac. Prozac is believed to fully biodegrade during the sewage treatment process. Prozac was not even on the list of phamaceutical drugs of concern, which was the whole point of the monitoring exercise. You should see how much ibuprofen goes into the rivers.....but no Prozac, or so it would seem.
Moreover, all water treatment facilities (in the U.K., under the DWI) which draw water from sources which may contain pesticides, routinely employ techniques which would eliminate pharmaceutical drugs from the water as well. So, any community drawing water from a river would automatically be protected, and any community which used groundwater contaminated in any way by man-made chemicals, is similarly protected. I think the safety net thrown around pesticide contamination of drinking water would more than take care of pharmaceutical contamination.
Now, those are rather general conclusions, I will admit, but there is no evidence available which contradicts my statements. I will continue to monitor the scientific press for news on that front. It is precisely this subject which is my area of expertise, in environmental chemistry.
Lar
This is the end of the thread.
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