Researchers Find PPCP Surge In Cape Cod Wells

Researchers say private well testing in Cape Cod shows the presence of dozens of pharmaceuticals.

Investigators from the Silent Spring Institute “found 27 unregulated contaminants, including a dozen different pharmaceuticals, a variety of chemicals used in non-stick coatings, flame retardants, and an artificial sweetener,” according to the institute. The findings were published last month in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Pharmaceuticals were found in two-thirds of the wells. “Sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic used to treat urinary tract infections, and carbamazepine, a drug used to treat seizures, nerve pain, and bipolar disorder, were among the most common pharmaceuticals detected,” the institute said.

The concentrations were below prescribable doses, but the findings still raise concerns, according to Laurel Schaider, lead author of the study.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s nothing to worry about,” Schaider said. “Drugs are intended for specific uses and can have side effects. And we don’t give certain medications to pregnant women or children because the developing body is very sensitive.”

“People often don’t think about where their tap water comes from,” Schaider said. “But it’s really important that they do and that they take steps to make sure it’s safe.”

Shaider urged well owners to get their water tested on an annual basis.

The researchers tested 20 drinking water wells, looking for 117 organic wastewater compounds (OWCs).

“Maximum concentrations of several polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and pharmaceuticals were relatively high compared to public drinking water supplies in the US. The number of detected OWCs and total concentrations of pharmaceuticals and of PFASs were positively correlated with nitrate, boron, and acesulfame and negatively correlated with well depth,” the study said.

Where are the contaminants coming from?

“These wells were all located in areas served exclusively by onsite wastewater treatment systems, which are likely the main source of the organic wastewater compounds in these wells, although landfill leachate may also be a source,” the study said.

Previous research by Silent Spring experts found hormone-disrupting chemicals and pharmaceuticals from septic systems in Cape Cod groundwater. Those findings spurred the researchers into this latest investigation.

“The next question was whether contaminants in household wastewater, once they enter the groundwater, make their way into drinking water supplies,” said Laurel Schaider, the lead author of the new study.

The researchers drew policy conclusions from the findings.

“Our results suggest that current regulations to protect domestic wells from pathogens in septic system discharges do not prevent organic wastewater compounds from reaching domestic wells, and that nitrate, a commonly measured drinking water contaminant, is a useful screening tool for [such compounds] in domestic wells,” the study said.

As Water Online previously reported, recent research suggests that "exposure to PPCPs in drinking water may subject humans, particularly males, to gender-morphing and other reproductive system alteration."

According to the U.S. EPA," to date, scientists have found no evidence of adverse human health effects from pharmaceuticals and personal care products as pollutants (PPCPs) in the environment."

For more on PPCPs and the water supply, visit Water Online’s Contaminant Removal Solutions Center.