Faith Middleton Show: Examining Connecticut's Drinking Water

People throw pharmaceutical drugs in the trash, and they end up in landfills, leaching into the groundwater.  Or, they're thrown in the toilet, or end up there in the urine we excrete - into the the groundwater it goes.

When you mix all the pharmaceuticals together - anti depressants, anti-psychotics, antibiotics, cold remedies, vitamins, blood pressure and blood thinner meds, you name it.  What happens to us if it ends up in our drinking water?  Could it be the cause of many illnesses we suffer?  Or is it harmless?  And if it is threatening what do we do about it.  The first step, of course, is measuring its presence in our water sources.  University of Connecticut environmental engineer Allison Mackay and her team, specializing in aquatic chemistry, are checking for the presence of pharmaceuticals in water and the Pomperaug Watershed, stretching across many towns in and around Southbury, CT.