Looking in at Iowa

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Includes a one-minute video of Dr. John Vargo inside the UI Lab.

From today’s Chicago Tribune special report:

Using sampling techniques and containers provided by the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory, Tribune reporters took samples on March 17 from drinking fountains at City Hall, Sherman Elementary on the South Side, and the Waukegan Public Library. Water from a tap at Tribune Tower also was filtered through a household filter before collection.

The water samples were shipped to the Iowa lab and analyzed for nearly 40 different compounds, including regulated pesticides and heavy metals and unregulated prescription and non-prescription drugs.

The tests did not reveal the presence of most of the contaminants But water from a drinking fountain on the 7th floor of City Hall, just outside the Department of Streets and Sanitation, contained small amounts of carbamazepine, a prescription drug used to control epileptic seizures and treat bipolar disorder. Also found was acetaminophen, an over-the-counter painkiller. …

John Vargo, the environmental program manager at the University of Iowa lab that conducted the Tribune’s tests, said he has found traces of carbamazepine, acetaminophen and other pharmaceuticals in the drinking water of other Midwestern cities. He declined to reveal the specific locations, citing confidentiality agreements written into the lab’s contracts. …