Dutch drinking water quality at risk? As many as 140,000 kilos of medicine residues are not filtered by the water boards. The RVIM investigated that 17,000 kilos of pesticides were not stopped by central water treatment plants. Through the sewers, a dangerous amount of medicines enters tap water. What is the state of quality of drinking water in the Netherlands?
Tap water quality is still good, but the quality of drinking water sources is threatened. (*)
(*) Only 80 of the 500 active ingredients found in medicines were included in this study. And too high concentrations of diclofenac, three types of antibiotics and a drug for epilepsy were found to exceed the safety standard. So this conclusion may be premature regarding our Dutch drinking water. Take matters into your own hands and visit our water ioniser shop! and whether book a free online consultation
Jyotisha naturopath
Source: Algemeen Dagblad Marcia Nieuwenhuis 06-10-16 A Buy water filter and a water filter for home purchases are no longer adequate and there is a danger of bacteria in these water filters.Â
There is cause for concern about the effects of medicines on water quality, according to a report published earlier by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). Medicines enter surface water after use through toilets and water treatment plants.
When drinking a glass of tap water, nobody needs to worry anymore. Drug concentrations in drinking water are so low that you have to drink a swimming pool empty, so to speak, to notice anything.
Yet drug residues pose a risk to the quality of Dutch drinking water. Lead researcher Caroline Moermond of the RIVM: "Drinking water companies are worried because the concentration of medicines in the water then increases." This is partly because of rising medicine use due to an ageing population. Moreover, the water level of rivers drops periodically, causing pollution to thicken. So it has an impact on the cost of water utilities to maintain the quality of drinking water in the Netherlands.
Drug residue concentrations in surface water threaten tap water quality
Surface water is significantly more polluted by pharmaceuticals than pesticides. This is the first time that RIVM has calculated how much medicine ends up in water in our country. In the Netherlands, it is estimated that we discharge at least 140 tonnes of medicine residues into surface water every year. "This is still a conservative estimate, it may be much more," Moermond adds. Plant protection products account for 17 tonnes entering surface water every year, according to RIVM. This affects the quality of drinking water in the Netherlands.
University of Amsterdam chemistry professor Pim de Voogt said: "Surface water is significantly more polluted by pharmaceuticals than by pesticides. The separate thing is that with crop pesticides we know much better what damage they can cause. We don't really know what a substance like paracetamol for a fish means."
Five drugs found with excessive concentrations
There are some 500 active substances in medicines, of which we have now investigated 80. Aim to find drug residues in tap water.
First, five drugs have already been found in concentrations exceeding the safety standard for the quality of Dutch drinking water. These include the painkiller diclofenac, three types of antibiotics and a drug for epilepsy. Moreover, research shows that drugs can have an effect on aquatic animals. All in all, contraceptives can cause sex change in fish and the behaviour of water crayfish and fish can be altered by antipsychotics.
Stricter regulations and legislation on quality Dutch drinking water
De Voogt advocates stricter regulation. "I note that it takes a long time before the legislation for the authorisation of medicines includes the assessment of any adverse effects of drug residues on the environment. I suspect this has to do with the interests of the pharmaceutical industry, doctors, specialists and patients."
Follow-up study drug residues for tap water quality needed
De Voogt and Moermond think these findings cry out for follow-up research. Moermond: "There are some 500 active ingredients in drugs, of which we have now investigated 80."
The quality of Dutch drinking waterThe quality of surface water, the quality of drinking water sources and the quality of water treatment plants are four different components that influence each other.
Jyotisha naturopath
Quality of drinking water in the Netherlands
So you can have a Buy water filter or a order water ioniser To answer the question "How many litres of water to drink per day" not only answer correctly but also drink 1.5 to 2 litres of super healthy water a day. Packed with antioxidants to improve your body as it ages detox. The abundance of water choices makes it opaque. Book a free drinking water consultation online and we will be happy to talk to you. Sustainability and health are at tap water quality first.
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