In the NewsNews of Drugs in Our Drinking Water Underscores the Need for More ResearchIt came as a total surprise to many, when AP reporters Jeff Donn and Martha Mendoza, broke their story, Drugs Found in Drinking Water, in March, 2008. The public was alarmed to learn that there are unregulated substances in our drinking water for which the impact on humans is not fully understood. This report, which cited research scientist, Anthony Aufdenkampe, because of the Stroud™ Water Research Center’s extensive New York City Watershed project data, created a maelstrom of media activity around the world as individuals began to question what they had always taken for granted — the quality of the water they consume every day.

The news made headlines from New York to California and as far away as New Zealand, South Africa and Singapore. Some 375 stories by media outlets including: FOX News, Forbes.com, the New York Times, NBC, NPR, USA TODAY and WIRED News hit newsstands, televisions and computer desktops around the globe. The Blogosphere also ran with the story, adding perspectives that reflected the public’s concern. From teenagers to adults — industry, ethnic and religious groups to hobbyists — this subject struck a chord and the web was used to spread the word and raise issues about the state of our water supply.

Throughout the month, journalists from across the country and the world sought Aufdenkampe’s insights into the sources of contaminants found in our water supply and what could be done about it. His presence on the CBS national evening news underscored the significance of the Stroud Water Research Center's role in this issue. Also featured on the broadcast were shots of the Center’s geochemists, Stephanie Dix and Linda Carter, extracting water samples in the Organic Geochemisty and Stable Isotope Lab and footage of the Center’s indoor stream.

The public’s heightened awareness and concern over the issue of pharmaceuticals and emerging contaminants in our drinking water underscores just how vital the Center’s freshwater research is — and how more needs to be done to understand how watersheds function so that we can protect, preserve and restore them everywhere.

To see the CBS News broadcast, go to: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/10/health/
main3920454.shtml?source=search_story

For more information about the New York City Watershed project, please visit: http://www.stroudcenter.org/research/newyorkproject.htm


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