Pubdate: Sat, 25 Jul 2015
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418
Author: Jillian Kestler-D'Amours
Page: A3

TRACES OF ILLICIT DRUGS FOUND IN WATERS OF GRAND RIVER WATERSHED

TORONTO - Trace amounts of cocaine, oxycodon and morphine have been 
detected in surface water in southern Ontario rivers, among other 
illicit and prescription drugs, a new study says.

The drugs originate in wastewater discharged into the Grand River 
watershed, according to a McGill University report published last 
week in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

Limited quantities of certain drugs also remained in Ontario's 
drinking water, even after passing through a drinking water treatment 
plant, researchers said.

"If the wastewater treatment plant - which is kind of an intense 
treatment that we do to remove these contaminants - is not able to 
remove fully the compound, we shouldn't expect the environment to 
remove it fully," said Viviane Yargeau, a chemical engineering 
professor at McGill and one of the study's authors.

"That's what we observed; we do detect (the drugs) in the drinking water."

A total of 17 substances were observed in small quantities in the 
wastewater, including cocaine, amphetamines, opioid drugs and 
metabolites. Researchers said cocaine, ephedrine and prescription 
opioids were also not effectively removed at the drinking water 
treatment plant.

Yargeau told the Toronto Star that while the drugs do not pose a 
serious health risk to humans, they could have a negative impact on 
the environment.

"I do drink tap water even though I've measured these concentrations 
in tap water," she said. "It's a bit more of a concern that we 
discharge them in the river knowing that the river might accumulate 
some of these drugs, that the fish will be exposed to it."

The study did not measure the drugs' impact on the ecosystem.

Yargeau said that based on previous studies that detailed the effects 
of pharmaceuticals on aquatic life, however, the drugs could 
potentially alter fish behaviour and threaten some species' survival.

"We can assume that the fish might have a different behaviour when 
exposed to the drug, and maybe that would have a decline on the 
survival rate of a fish population," she said.

The Grand River begins in Dufferin County and ends 300 kilometres 
later at Lake Erie. Its watershed covers several municipalities, 
including Waterloo, Kitchener, Guelph, Brantford and parts of Hamilton.

Yargeau said the study was unique in that it followed the flow of 
water from the wastewater treatment plant, through the river, and 
after it was processed at a drinking water plant.

She said she could not specify where exactly the water samples were 
taken, but that she hoped the study would put pressure on decision 
makers to invest in better wastewater treatment facilities.

"If we improve the wastewater treatment plant, then we will protect 
the environment at the same time and protect the source of drinking water."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom