AIR MEREKA LEBIH BERSIH ...

Drinking water in state is safe, official says
pennlive.com

BY CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Of The Patriot-News

Don't worry. Go ahead. Drink the water.

That's what state and local water officials are saying in reaction to reports that pharmaceuticals have been found in drinking water around the nation.

"Pennsylvania's drinking water is safe and will continue to be safe," said Neil Weaver, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Local water companies don't test for pharmaceuticals in their water, but they point to the small amounts detected elsewhere as evidence there is no need for concern.

"The research we have looked at found concentrations that were 20,000 to as much as 70,000 times lower than an acceptable daily intake," United Water spokesman Bob Manbeck said. "We believe if EPA [the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] were concerned about the trace amounts found in certain waters, they would make testing mandatory."

The levels are so low that only recently has technology advanced to the point of allowing them to be detected. United, which serves 45,000 customers in the midstate, does not own equipment capable of detecting traces that small, Manbeck said.

"It's parts per trillion," Weaver said. "It's like a grain of sand in an Olympic-sized swimming pool."

"Sure, these compounds have been detected around the country at low levels. It is our understanding they do not pose a health impact," Manbeck said. "Researchers are more certain about the impacts on fish and wildlife."

But low levels of chemicals concern some experts.

Pharmaceuticals in waterways have been shown to feminize male fish. Studies have also shown the drugs affect sentinel species at the foundation of the pyramid of life -- such as earth worms in the wild and zooplankton in labs.

No2umnO - Di Pennsylvania air dijamin bersih, kat Malaysia ... "YOU DRINK, YOU DIE".