Study Shows How Sewage Plants Can Remove Pharmaceuticals From Wastewater

[Julieanne]

James Ives
January 9 2020

A study of seven wastewater treatment plants in the Eastern United States reveals a mixed record when it comes to removing medicines such as antibiotics and antidepressants.
The research points to two treatment methods — granular activated carbon and ozonation — as being particularly promising. Each technique reduced the concentration of a number of pharmaceuticals, including certain antidepressants and antibiotics, in water by more than 95%, the scientists’ analysis found.


Read more: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20...astewater.aspx

[Islander]

Once again, we go with the cheapest (and least effective) of the solutions.

[Mr. Wizard]

The wording of their results is a bit tricky. They state: "......reduce the concentration of a number of pharmaceuticals, including certain antidepressants and antibiotics..." Reducing "a number of pharmaceuticals," suggests to me that they're not catching everything...just certain types. And, even of the medicines they are able to reduce, it's not 100%. Since when is it acceptable to have 5% or any percentage of drugs in treated wastewater. Even if the water is not recycled for drinking water, this drug contaminated water at some point gets released back into the environment for fish and wildlife to consume. Totally unacceptable!!

[Islander]

An Internet friend recently forwarded me a letter from some apparently very naive young woman who was spilling over with exuberance in her joy to share how happy she was to live in the greatest country in the world. She bubbles and bubbles and bubbles with enthusiasm about the wonders of America, seemingly blind to all the flaws that regular members here point out day after day: cultural, financial, economical, pharmaceutical, criminal, well there's just no end once you attempt to list the issues we struggle with daily, in the petitions we sign and the letters we wrote to our congressional representatives. Wonder if we'll ever see any of that hope and change that we were promised many years ago.

[Maurya]

Wonder if we'll ever see any of that hope and change that we were promised many years ago.

No, 'fraid not. We the people decided that we prefer "Greed is Good" over and above "Hope and Change". Perhaps we might manage to turn that around come November 2020.