In what sounds like some radical hippie plot from the 1960s, America’s water supply is laced — the nation has just learned —with a veritable medicine cabinet of drugs.

Lurking in that apparently pristine glass of water you are sipping is an array of pharmaceuticals, ranging from antibiotics and anti-convulsants to mood stabilizers and (gasp!) sex hormones, according to a recent investigation by The Associated Press.

While the concentrations of the pharmaceuticals are minutes, and far below that of a medical dose, these findings fly in the face of utilities’ claims that their water is completely safe for human consumption.

In fact, the presence of so many prescription drugs, as well as over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, is increasingly worrying scientists, who are concerned about the long-term effect on human health.

The AP’s five-month study detected drugs in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas throughout the nation.

The drugs get into the water when people take pills that are partly absorbed by their digestive systems — but the rest passes through and is flushed down the toilet. This wastewater is treated and then discharged into reservoirs, where it supposedly is again cleansed before being piped to consumers as ostensibly pure drinking water. Probably to many people’s dismay, most treatments do not remove all drug residue, The AP study showed.

The exact risks from decades of exposure to various combinations of pharmaceuticals are uncertain, but recent studies — “which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public — have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife,” The AP reported.

After learning about these findings, some people may opt for bottled water or high-tech water filtration systems for their homes and offices.

However, studies of bottled water manufacturers show that their product is often just municipal tap water.
As for the high-tech filter systems, it’s doubtful they are up to the task.

Fortunately, here in the mountains almost none of our water is recycled — but the drug-laced water in the lowlands may explain why there is so much bizarre behavior around us these days.