Experts Available to Discuss Inquiry Finds Traces of Pharmaceuticals in U.S. Water Supply
ExpertSource:
TOPIC: An investigation, conducted by The Associated Press, found traces of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supplies in 24 major U.S. metropolitan areas, according to an article by The Associated Press. While the levels found are far lower than what is considered a medical dose and not considered a health risk, some scientists are concerned over possible long-term effects of medications such as ibuprofen, mood stabilizers and antibiotics in the nation’s drinking water. Of the 28 metropolitan areas where tests were done on the water supplies, only Albuquerque, N.M., Austin, Texas and Virginia Beach, Va. tested negative.
EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:
Steve Reiber, Ph.D., is HDR’s drinking water quality technical lead and director of HDR’s water research program. A nationally known expert in water chemistry, Reiber has invented several methodologies that are now widely used to assess corrosion in drinking water systems, and holds several patents. He has led programs evaluating the corrosion status of public water systems in more than a dozen cities. He has participated in approximately 30 different water treatment pilot studies, and has served as a design consultant for more than a dozen treatment plants with capacities of greater than 50 million gallons per day, including some of North America’s largest membrane facilities. A frequent consultant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Reiber helped shape the assessment protocols and optimization strategies mandated by the Lead and Copper Rule. In the past three years, he participated in drafting five different EPA Guidance Manuals associated with Disinfection By-Products and Alternative Disinfectants. Reiber has won the AWWA’s most prestigious research and publishing awards, and his writing on a wide range of topics has been published in a variety of periodicals and books.
His research and publications include: Contributor to Handbook of Public Water Systems, 2nd Edition, published by Wiley & Sons; More than 24 white papers and articles published in water research and trade journals on arsenic and other contaminants in water; and More than 17 presentations on water quality issues at American Water Works Association and other industry conferences.
PR Contact: Jackie Fox
402-926-7058
Jackie.Fox@hdrinc.com
John D. Spengler, Ph.D., is a co-founder of Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc. and Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Spengler’s experience includes more than 20 years of creating and managing large-scale, multidisciplinary studies for assessing human exposures to environmental pollutants. He’s developed innovative sampling and analysis methods, extensive personal monitoring studies, and receptor modeling techniques.
PR Contact: Brandie Gerrish
781-793-9380
bgerrish@tizinc.com
ExpertSource cannot guarantee the immediate availability of these experts or their familiarity with this specific issue.
ExpertSource provides academic and industry experts to the media at no charge. Journalists are encouraged to submit queries to ExpertSource when seeking experts on specific subjects. An online registration form is available at http://www.businesswire.com/.