Several common drugs could leach into Oahu groundwater

Landscaping irrigated with wastewater in a photo from a 2014 Health Department report. Image credit: Hawai'i Department of Health.

Of 11 pharmaceuticals commonly found in sewage, former Geology and Geophysics (GG) student Jeffrey Murl has recently determined that seven of them have the potential to leach into O‘ahu’s groundwater, one poses an uncertain risk, and the remaining three — which are perhaps the most likely to impact humans and animals at low doses — are unlikely to leach into O‘ahu aquifers.

Whether or not those “micro-pollutants” pose a threat to human health remains to be seen. Using his research, as well as recent studies conducted by other scientists with the university’s Water Resources Research Center, the state Department of Health is planning to revise its guidelines on wastewater reuse to ensure that any health effects are minimized or avoided altogether. His findings are part of an effort by the Health Department to determine how and where recycled wastewater should be used, given that it is likely laden with contaminants of emerging concern.

Read more in Environment Hawai’i (edited version of the original Environment Hawaii story reprinted in Honolulu Civil Beat).