Despite years of attempts to make drinking water in the UK as pure as possible, traces of drugs have been found. The Drinking Water Inspectorate have tested water and found Benzoylecgonine along with painkiller ibuprofen and other over-the-counter drugs. The shocking news has emerged as it is believed around 700,000 people across the UK use the stimulant drug cocaine.
A researcher from the firm Transform revealed that the drug is getting cheaper and its use has been increasing. The report says that the small amount of substance should not harm humans. The report shows that intakes of the compounds detected in drinking water are much lower than levels of therapeutic doses.
However, my concern is that I have no control over the quality and content of water coming through my tap. All very well to advise the use of a water filter. Some of us, like old age pensioners, can't afford such devices.
Source: http://www.water.org.uk/home
Two-thirds of our water comes from surface sources and a third from groundwater. The water industry collects, treats and supplies more than 16 billion litres per day of water to domestic and commercial customers and then collects and treats more than 10 billion litres of the resulting wastewaters, returning it safely to the environment. The water industry draws water from more than 1,500 boreholes, 650 reservoirs and at 600 river abstraction points.
In the UK our drinking water is of the highest standard, at a record level of quality and among the best in the world. We can turn on our taps with the certainty of a safe, clean and refreshing supply. Tap water is carefully managed to ensure that it is consistently safe, clean and acceptable to consumers. The greatest concern for water supplies is still the danger of pathogenic micro-organisms that can come from a number of different sources in the environment. Water supplies have a range of barriers (the multiple barrier approach) designed to prevent such contamination.
Cocaine is a stimulant which affect's the body's production of dopamine, the brain chemical governing pleasure and movement. So—are we all happy here in England? Nope. In Australia, the term for Englishmen and women is 'winging pom'. This means they complain about everything and are never satisfied. I guess the minuscule amount of cocaine that invades our drinking water supply has little effect.
They say, 'Caring is sharing'. However, it's repugnant to realize the water we drink is recycled through other people.