Jim Dobbin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dobbin on 2014-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Drinking Water Inspectorate has conducted any research into the level of psychotropic drugs in UK drinking water.

Dan Rogerson

The Drinking Water Inspectorate has published the results of a study looking at the risk of pharmaceuticals and health care products in drinking water. This included consideration of commonly used compounds that might be considered to be "psychotropic".

These include carbamezapine (an antiepileptic and mood stabilising medicine) and fluoxetine (antidepressant). Additionally, the study considered the illegal drug cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine (sold as a topical analgaesic). Cocaine and fluoxetine were not detected in any samples. Only minute traces of benzoylecgonine and carbamezapine at levels several orders of magnitude below therapeutic doses were found in a few samples. This study has informed water supply monitoring and risk management by water companies.

The results of the study can be found on the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s website.