Testing prompted by an Associated Press story that revealed trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in drinking water supplies has shown that more Americans are affected by the problem than previously thought at least 46 million.

That's up from 41 million people reported by the AP in March as part of an investigation into the presence of pharmaceuticals in the nation's waterways.

The AP stories prompted federal and local legislative hearings, brought about calls for mandatory testing and disclosure, and led officials in at least 27 additional metropolitan areas to analyze their drinking water. Positive tests were reported in 17 cases, including Reno, Nev., Savannah, Ga., Colorado Springs, Colo., and Huntsville, Ala. Results are pending in three others.

The test results, added to data from communities and water utilities that bowed to pressure to disclose earlier test results, produce the new total of Americans known to be exposed to drug-contaminated drinking water supplies.

The overwhelming majority of U.S. cities have not tested drinking water while eight cities including Boston, Phoenix and Seattle were relieved that tests showed no detections.

The substances detected in the latest tests mirrored those cited in the earlier AP report.

Chicago, for example, found a cholesterol medication and a nicotine derivative. Many cities found the anti-convulsant carbamazepine. Officials in one of those communities, Colorado Springs, say they detected five pharmaceuticals in all, including a tranquilizer and a hormone.

And while the new survey expands the known extent of the problem, the overwhelming majority of U.S. communities have yet to test, including the single largest water provider in the country, New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, which delivers water to 9 million people.

The AP National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate (at) ap.org

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hozicnCmH9ZltqydDTw3ni1dn-TAD934NAL80

US Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles made the acknowledgement to AP investigative reporters following a September 16 Congressional subcommittee hearing in which pollution experts and lawmakers called for the EPA to update its water quality standards to address the trace levels of pharmaceuticals and other chemical compounds, such as those from personal care products, now detected in water supplies by newer technology.

The demand for clean water in emerging markets such as Africa helped boost global bottled water consumption in 2007, according to the 2008 Global Bottled Water report.

Overall, global bottled water consumption increased 6 percent to 206 billion liters (about 54 billion gallons) in 2007, according to the press release.

Regional market figures increased 14 percent and 10 percent in Africa and Eastern Europe, respectively. Asia/Australia remains the largest regional market with a 26.5 percent share, reaching a 10 percent increase from 2006 numbers. The only regional market to see a decline in consumption volume, Western Europe, showed a 0.2 percent decrease, which was assumed to be caused by poor summer weather.

The report also shows that the United States and China were the two largest national markets. Data on the world’s four top bottled water companies, Nestle, Danone (Dannon), Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, are also included in the release.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending 60 million EURO for implementation of the water and sanitation projects of municipalities and cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This will help to improve the quality of life of the country’s citizens and meet Bosnia and Herzegovina’s needs regarding future compliance with EU environmental legislation. The EIB loan will finance an investment program for the water and wastewater sector in 15 towns that will result in an improvement and expansion of water supply and sewage systems and the construction of wastewater treatment plants. The Bank would be prepared to consider a similar operation for Republika Srpska, representing the other entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The EIB loan will cover up to 50% of the total costs of the planned projects that will be co-financed by the budgets of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the country’s municipalities and cantons and the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession. The remaining funds will be provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank, representing another example of the good coordination and cooperation among all three international financial institutions in the Western Balkans.

At present, project preparation in a number of towns is already in progress, assisted by grants provided by the European Union under the Environmental Project Preparation Facility. Some of the required feasibility studies have already been completed in cooperation between the municipal authorities and internationally experienced consultants, e.g. in Velika Kladusa, Orasje and Bosanski Petrovac, and more are to be undertaken in the course of 2008.