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“Prozac seeping into water supplies” The Scotsman - August 8, 2004 by KEVIN HURLEY THE anti-depressant drug Prozac is being taken in such large quantities in Britain that it has entered water supplies. Experts from the Environmental Agency are calling for an immediate investigation after it emerged that quantities of the medication were found in rivers and groundwater used for drinking supplies. The government’s environmental watchdog has met officials from leading pharmaceutical companies to discover whether traces of the drug could have an impact on the nation’s health or the ecosystem. A recent report by the Environmental Agency concluded the Prozac, dubbed the "happy pill" in the United States where it is hugely popular for its mood-lifting qualities, could be potentially toxic. It also branded its presence a "potential concern". Experts have also voiced concerns that the drug, which they believe has found its way into the water system from treated sewage water, could seriously damage the human reproductive system. Exact amounts of Prozac detected in British waters have not been specified but the government’s Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) said it was likely that the drug has been found in such diluted concentrations that health risks involved will be minimal. Despite this, the discovery will raise concerns that GPs are over-prescribing the pill, Britain’s most popular anti-depressant drug. In the decade up to 2001, prescriptions of Prozac rose from nine million to 24 million a year. Dr Andy Crawford, the Environmental Agency policy manager for pesticides said an investigation was needed to find how such traces of the drug impacts health. "We need to determine the effects of this low-level, almost continuous discharge," he said. Norman Baker, environmental spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, said people needed to know what risks were involved. "This looks like a case of hidden mass medication upon the unsuspecting public," he said. "It is alarming there is no monitoring of levels of Prozac and other pharmacy residues in our drinking water." European studies in the past have raised fears about the build-up of drugs in the environment and highlighted that a negative impact of this upon human health and that of wildlife "cannot be excluded". However, a DWI spokesman was confident all such health risks are eliminated before drinking water reaches people’s homes. "Advanced treatment processes installed for pesticide removal are effective in removing drug residues," he said. SOURCE: NOTE: Lilly’s Prozac lost its patent protection in 2001. In 2000 Prozac had worldwide sales of $2.6 billion, accounting for about a quarter of the company's total sales at the time. The FDA has now approved Lily’s new anti-depressant, Cymbalta. === “Prozac 'found in drinking water'” BBC - August 8, 2004 Traces of the antidepressant Prozac can be found in the nation's drinking water, it has been revealed. An Environment Agency report suggests so many people are taking the drug nowadays it is building up in rivers and groundwater. A report in Sunday's Observer says the government's environment watchdog has discussed the impact for human health. A spokesman for the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) said the Prozac found was most likely highly diluted. 'Alarming' The newspaper says environmentalists are calling for an urgent investigation into the evidence. It quotes the Liberal Democrats' environment spokesman, Norman Baker MP, as saying the picture emerging looked like "a case of hidden mass medication upon the unsuspecting public". He says: "It is alarming that there is no monitoring of levels of Prozac and other pharmacy residues in our drinking water." Experts say the anti-depression drug gets into the rivers and water system via treated sewage water. Prescriptions increase The DWI said the Prozac was unlikely to pose a health risk as it was so "watered down". The Observer says the revelations raise new fears over how many prescriptions for the drug are given out by doctors. In the decade leading up to 2001, the number of prescriptions for antidepressants went up from nine million per year to 24 million per year, says the paper. The Environment Agency report concluded that the Prozac in the water table could be potentially toxic and said the drug was a "potential concern". The exact amount of Prozac in the nation's drinking water is not known. Story from BBC NEWS: |
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