AWWA JAW72859

Although the presence of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and endocrine disrupting chemicals in water does not necessarily imply risk and may be many times higher in air and food than in water, this article provides a context for understanding the presence of such compounds in drinking water. Indicators of estrogenic activity, which have been used in some contexts to evaluate the presence of contaminants, can also produce a positive response from natural compounds in foods such as soy and in plant-based products. Thus, such indicators may not be an appropriate measurement or harbinger of risk. This study can help utility managers and personnel educate themselves and the public by providing a way to understand the meaning of finding trace levels of organic contaminants in water. The perceived risk of emerging contaminants in drinking water must be carefully balanced with the known environmental and monetary costs of energy-intensive treatment processes and the known risks of dietary and airborne exposure to these and other contaminants.

Includes 70 references, tables, figures.