 "Photo: Photo Illustration by Stephanie Perry | The Parthenon")
Water in West Virginia has not been tested for pharmaceuticals.
Antibiotics, anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers, sex hormones and over-the-counter pain medications have been found in metropolitan areas as close as Louisville, Ky., according to The Associated Press.
Walter Ivey, director of the Environmental Engineering Division in the Bureau of Public Health, said there has not been any testing done on the water in West Virginia for pharmaceuticals.
Ivey said these findings have caused a nationwide concern.
"West Virginia, like every other state, has some potential to have the same level of pharmaceuticals in the water," Ivey said.
Ivey said the levels of pharmaceuticals reported from the metropolitan areas were low, and it doesn't appear there could be a health impact based on what they know.
Dreama Thomas, secretary at the Veer's Quality Water, said she was amazed about the finding of pharmaceuticals in water and was concerned she could be drinking this kind of water, too.
"Many people are going to have concerns and questions whether their water is safe because they use water for everything," Thomas said.
Thomas said they will keep a closer watch on what they are testing to make sure there are not pharmaceuticals in the water since there could be some in West Virginia.
"There could be pharmaceuticals in the water because nothing surprises me these days," Thomas said.
Ivey said students who live on Marshall University's campus are not at any higher risk than students who live off campus.
"The water on campus comes from the same source as all water comes from in Huntington, all of which is monitored by the West Virginia American Water Association," Ivey said.
In West Virginia it is required the public water system has a chlorine residue, whereas other states do not have this requirement, Ivey said.
"The chlorine residue is used to disinfect the water and continues to actively sanitize the water," Ivey said.
Another way to make sure the water is safe is to regulate it by the public water system, Ivey said.
"They test the finished water and send it to the state to make sure the water is in compliance with federal standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency," Ivey said.
The water is tested regularly on either a monthly, quarterly or annual basis depending on the size of the water system, Ivey said.
Ivey said people can call the local public water system and ask for a consumer confidence report that will show any identified problems in their water system in the past year, if they are concerned.
"I, personally, do not hesitate to drink water at home, at my job or when I travel around West Virginia because I have confidence we have a good supply of water, and it is treated adequately," Ivey said.
Stephanie Perry can be contacted at perry215@marshall.edu.
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