For the past few decades, the amount of children who have been diagnosed with autism has risen dramatically. Between 2000 and 2010 alone, the prevalence of the developmental disorder rose from 1 in every 150 children to 1 in every 68 children. According to some scientists, one of the contributing factors to this increase is contaminants in our tap water. Today we’re going to talk about how contaminants in tap water might be linked to an increased risk for autism and what you can do to protect your home’s water supplies.
What is the connection between tap water quality and autism?
As the use of pharmaceutical drugs has risen dramatically in the United States, so has their presence in our tap water supplies. Pharmaceutical drugs can get into our tap water in one of two ways:
- Traces of the drugs show up in urine, which ends up in the waste water supplies that are treated by water treatment plants. The chemicals are often not removed by the treatment plants, so they show up in the water that comes out of our faucets.
- Old and expired drugs are flushed down the toilet, and their contents dissolve directly into waste water that is processed by treatment plants (leading to the same problems mentioned above).
So what does this all have to do with autism? Previous research on rats has indicated a link between autism-like symptoms and the exposure to psychiatric drugs. Because we know that traces of these drugs show up in our water supplies, scientists were interested in finding out if tap water that contained traces of pharmaceutical drugs had any impact on autism rates. In 2012, a study was performed by the PhRMA Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Idaho State University to do just that.
The study found that fish that were exposed to water with traces of certain antidepressants and antiseizure medications showed gene patterns similar to those found in people with autism. This suggests that pregnant women who consume similarly contaminated tap water can expose their fetuses to traces of those same drugs, which may increase the risk of autism in their children.
How can limit your exposure to drugs in your tap water?
The best way to limit your exposure to the drugs that have been linked to increased risks of autism is to filter your water at home. North Carolina Water Consultants offers both point-of-use and whole house filtration systems that are fully capable of removing traces of pharmaceutical drugs from your tap water. Installing a filtration system will ensure that you have a high-quality source of tap water that you can consume worry-free.
If you have any questions about the connection between tap water quality and autism, or if you’d like a water system serviced or installed in your home, contact North Carolina Water Consultants, your water softener and water filtration system dealer in North Carolina and South Carolina. We provide service all over the Carolinas, including towns like Davidson, Kannapolis and Concord, NC.