{"product_id":"2940013235885","title":"Waste Water, Source Water, and Drinking Water: The Adulteration of America's Water Supply by Pharmaceuticals","description":"In 2008, in response to increasing information arising from the scientific community, the news media reported that pharmaceuticals had been detected in the drinking water of 24 major metropolitan areas across the United States.The concentrations detected were measured most frequently in parts per trillion. The reports raised concerns about the potential impact of these pharmaceuticals on human health and the environment. Pharmaceuticals are a particular concern because they are designed to interact with human or animal physiology. Much is known about the therapeutic uses of pharmaceuticals, but little is known about their potential risk to human health from long-term exposure through drinking water. According to scientists, pharmaceuticals may enter the environment and ultimately drinking water supplies in various ways, such as through the elimination of human and animal waste, disposal of unused medicines down the toilet or drain, veterinary drug usage, hospital waste disposal, and industrial discharges.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe conducted this performance audit from January 2010 through August 2011 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.","brand":"U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47068734685424,"sku":"2940013235885","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013235885_p0.jpg?v=1763578541","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013235885","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}