AND THEY WANT US TO RECLAIM WATER FROM OUR SHOWERS LAVS. AND WASHER TO FLUSH OUR TOILETS

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA — Wastewater contamination from organic chemicals in consumer products such as soaps, antimicrobial compounds and insect repellents is polluting drinking water sources in the state, according to a newly released report by nonprofit research organization The Iowa Policy Project, the Globe Gazette said December 1.

The report, released December 1, notes that federal and state regulations do not require regulators to monitor such chemicals, which now are showing up in trace quantities in drinking water supplies.

“These go well beyond the well publicized issue of water contamination by pharmaceuticals,” report author William Wombacher said in a conference call with the Globe Gazette. “Neither are there processes that target these chemical compounds for removal or do a very good job of removing them.”

Wombacher said a recent study by University of Iowa scientists found low concentrations of two synthetic fragrance compounds known as AHTN and HHCB in both the Iowa River and in the University of Iowa’s drinking water.

Iowa Policy Project researcher Teresa Galluzzo said regulatory action in the United States that would require better testing and tracking of organic wastewater contaminants is now needed. She noted that the European Union recently imposed tougher testing standards for the manufacturers of such products.

Galluzzo said California’s Proposition 65, which was passed in 1986 and creates an updated list of chemical compounds that are found harmful to human health and are banned from discharge into any water, could serve as a framework for national regulation.

To read the full Globe Gazette article, click here.

To access the Iowa Policy Project Web site and report, click here.