After a 5-month investigation, the Associated Press found that Los Angeles drinking water has traces of Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications. "To be sure," the AP noted "the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose."
Across the nation, the report found tainted water supplies in 24 major metropolitan areas, five of those in California:
- Los Angeles: 2 (meprobamate and phenytoin)
- Long Beach: 2 (meprobamate and phenytoin)
- Riverside County: 2 (meprobamate and phenytoin)
- San Francisco: 1 (estradiol)
- San Diego: 3 (ibuprofen, meprobamate and phenytoin)
- Concord: 2 (meprobamate and sulfamethoxazole)
Estradiol, found in San Francisco's water supply is a sex hormone and sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic, was found in Concord. Southern California and Las Vegas were the only areas that meprobamate, an anti-anxiety medication, was detected. Can a regional culture be read into this?
Nonetheless, at least Los Angeles still holds the title of best drinking water. Cheers to that!
Photo by ~db~ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
