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FEATURE: Geoff Watts How clean is your water? BMJ 2008; 337: a237 [Full text]

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How clean is clean?

Viera Scheibner   (3 July 2008)

Illicit drugs also pollute our waters

Pasquale Urbano   (3 July 2008)

What is civilization?

Hugh Mann   (4 July 2008)

Discarded water filters

Phillip J. Colquitt   (6 July 2008)

Drugs in the water supply and male infertility

Gillian R. Cooper   (16 July 2008)

How clean is clean? 3 July 2008
Viera Scheibner, Scientist/Author etired self employed Send response to journal: Re: How clean is clean?	Geoff Watts raised the issue of medications (pharmaceuticals) ending up in our water supply, and their possibly harmful effect on our health. This is a very timely article since the first results of scientific research are surfacing: basically, even minute amounts of pharmaceuticals can be very harmful, because Nature operates on several energy levels, one of which is sub-molecular (homeopathic). Basically, the lower the dose the stronger the effect. A variety of thresholds apply which homeopathy understands, while those who do not study homeopathy do not. As some recent Australian research demonstrated, that is the reason why fish in some areas are now born predominantly female (the oestrogen overload, mainly the effect of hormonal preparations such as the Pill and HRT and some other materials rich in oestrogen)which is the cause of disappearance of some species of fish, beyond the effect of overfishing. Research into the quality of recycled water also demonstrated that the level of oestrogen in recycled water is very much lower than in the 'normal' tap water. However, what is the 'safe' level in both sources of drinking water? This is a wakeup call for humanity to open its eyes (or rather the scientists)to other, scientific, systems of pharmacological medicine, such as homeopathy. After all, Dr Hannemann, the founder of modern homeopathy, was an orthodox medical doctor who saw the light. Dr Viera Scheibner (PhD), Blackheath, NSW, Australia, Competing interests: None declared
Illicit drugs also pollute our waters 3 July 2008
Pasquale Urbano, Director, Dept. of Public Health, University of Florence, Italy Viale Morgagni 48, 50134 Firenze, Italia Send response to journal: Re: Illicit drugs also pollute our waters	Abuse drugs are excreted into the sewage system and may be found and measured in the environment [1]. Several authors estimate the gross amount of, e.g., cocaine, consumed in large metropolitan areas, building on their concentration in surface water bodies [2]. It would be interesting to reverse the theoretical models of Dr. Johnson, in order to increase the reliability of such estimates. 1: Zuccato E, Castiglioni S, Bagnati R, Chiabrando C, Grassi P, Fanelli R.: Illicit drugs, a novel group of environmental contaminants. Water Res. 2008 Feb;42(4-5):961-8. Epub 2007 Sep 2 2: Bones J, Thomas KV, Paull B. Using environmental analytical data to estimate levels of community consumption of illicit drugs and abused pharmaceuticals. J Environ Monit. 2007 Jul;9(7):701-7. Epub 2007 Competing interests: None declared
What is civilization? 4 July 2008
Hugh Mann, Physician Eagle Rock, MO 65641 USA Send response to journal: Re: What is civilization?	Civilization is water management. Competing interests: None declared
Discarded water filters 6 July 2008
Phillip J. Colquitt, Technician/RN Independent Comment Send response to journal: Re: Discarded water filters	Brisbane residents were recently advised to expect fluoridation of the water supply to commence around December 2008 under the present Queensland state Bligh government. Many of us don’t want it. A logical follow on from this enforced ‘medication’, is a surge in sales of filtration devices, with the attendant problem of the discarded filters. These filters must, by definition of their very purpose, contain concentrations and amounts of toxins far exceeding those found generally in water and food. But these filters can be discarded without any regulation. Where do they go? Do they remain chemically ‘stable’? Who is dealing with the issue? Competing interests: None declared
Drugs in the water supply and male infertility 16 July 2008
Gillian R. Cooper, GP Elgar House, Redditch B97 4AB Send response to journal: Re: Drugs in the water supply and male infertility	For many years I have been concerned that the amount of hormone going into the water system due to massive use of the oral contraceptive could be one of the causes of increasing male infertility. I hope this article will be a stimulus to more research in this area. Competing interests: None declared