by KYW's Mike Dunn
Philadelphia Water Department officials told City Council on Monday that trace amounts of drugs found in the water supply are so minute that standard testing would not have even detected them.
The Council hearing was prompted by an AP report last month noting 56 drugs found in the city's water supply (see related stories) -- a number that officials now say was erroneous.
The actual number, water commissioner Bernard Brunwasser testified, is just 17. And the drugs found included acetaminophen (the main ingredient in Tylenol and similar painkillers) and caffeine.
Councilman Jim Kenney (in file photo at right) questioned Brunwasser about the overall situation:
(Kenney:) "We test more than we're required to test?"
(Brunwasser:) "Correct."
(Kenney:) "And at this time, you view no public health hazard?"
(Brunwasser:) "Correct."
(Kenney:) "And at some point in time, we may get to the point where we can take the 17 out?"
(Brunwasser:) "Correct."
(Kenney:) "But right now, the water's safe."
(Brunwasser:) "Yes sir."
Brunwasser said the level of acetaminophen was so minute that residents would not be affected:
"They would have to drink eight glasses a day for 40,000 years to obtain the equivalent of a single infant dose, 80mg, of Tylenol."
Environmental activists who testified agreed that Philadelphia's water is generally safe but said the national issue cries out for further research.
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