What's in the Water?

The US drinking water supply contains trace amounts of a plethora of drugs — everything from over-the-counter pain meds to prescription antibiotics and tranquilizers — according to an AP investigation.

Here in Texas, Houston has done no testing for pharmaceuticals. Austin was one of three metropolitan areas surveyed across the nation that claimed negative test results for pharmaceuticals in its watersheds. Dallas is waiting on results, and Arlington refused to identify a pharmaceutical detected in its water supply, citing “post-9/11 security concerns.”

Water providers and the pharmaceutical companies have downplayed the risk. The EPA says it has analyzed 287 substances for regulation. Only one, nitroglycerin, is currently being considered, for its “widespread use in making explosives.”