Sidebar: Chemical Society

Most of what is ingested by humans eventually ends up in the toilet and becomes wastewater. One of the goals for wastewater drug tests is to determine how much pollution is created by flushing human waste containing pharmaceuticals into rivers and streams.

It's a question being asked in many places around the country.

In Benton County, Ark., an eight-member committee was formed to investigate the amount of water pollution caused by pharmaceuticals being flushed down the toilet.

In Montana, a hydrologist tested 35 drinking water wells and found 32 were contaminated with pharmaceuticals, endocrine disrupters (hormones and birth control drugs) and personal care products. The hydrologist concluded that when expired prescription drugs are flushed down the toilet, people and wildlife could ingest them secondhand.

In Helena Valley, Mont., researchers found acetaminophen, caffeine, nicotine, codeine and antibiotics in backyard groundwater.

No one exactly is sure how these chemicals affect fish and wildlife, let alone humans. The ability to test wastewater - and increasing interest to in doing so - may shed light on questions researchers haven't answered.