Health Highlights: March 10, 2008

Mar. 24 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

U.S. Drinking Water Contains Wide Variety of Pharmaceuticals

A broad range of prescription and over-the-counter drugs are present in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, according to an Associated Press investigation that raises questions about the potential impact on human health.

The investigation included reviews of scientific studies and federal drinking water databases, visits to environmental study sites and water treatment plants, and interviews with hundreds of experts and officials.

Among the findings:

• Pharmaceutical drugs have been detected in the drinking water of 24 major metropolitan areas.
• Testing in Philadelphia revealed 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water.
• A sex hormone was found in San Francisco's drinking water.
• A metabolized angina medicine and the mood-stabilizing drug carbamazepine was found in the drinking water of 850,000 people in northern New Jersey.
• A portion of the drinking water supplied to 18.5 million people in Southern California contained anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications.
• Six pharmaceuticals were detected in the drinking water for Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas.

When people take a medication, the body doesn't use all of it. The excess is flushed out with other wastes and ends up in wastewater treatment plants, which discharge treated water into rivers, lakes or reservoirs, the AP said.

The concentrations of pharmaceuticals found in drinking water were extremely low and the exact risks to human health from long-term exposure aren't fully understood, the AP reported. However, recent research has shown that such drugs cause alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.

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Gene Variant Linked to Gout

A gene variant that may increase a person's risk of gout has been identified by Scottish researchers, who said their finding may lead to improved treatments for the painful joint condition, BBC News reported.