Too much pharmaceuticals in the river Maas

Too much pharmaceuticals in the river Maas

According to the latest report of the RIWA, a Belgian-Dutch organisation of water companies, too much pharmaceuticals were measured at 10% of the sampling points. Since Since we tap a lot of drinking water from the river, this finding is disturbing, say water companies. Although our drinking water is still perfectly safe, this elevated concentration of pharmaceuticals may have an adverse effect on organisms in the environment, such as femalized male fish. In another research project, performed in 2010 and involving our laboratory, which focussed on pharmaceuticals in the water at the ports of the North Sea, traces of seven pharmaceuticals were dicovered for the first time.

Read the full article as displayed in De Standaard of August 27th, 2013 (Dutch).