The reading from the First Letter of John this Sunday warns that not all of those who say they keep the commandments may be telling the truth. While there are federal laws governing release of harmful chemicals into the public water supply, investigators wonder if pharmaceutical companies and regulators are telling the whole story about the risks.

U.S. manufacturers, including major drug companies, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways that provide drinking water--contamination the federal government has consistently overlooked, according to an Associated Press (AP) investigation.

To date, drug makers have dismissed the suggestion that their manufacturing contributes significantly to what's being found in the water. Federal drug and water regulators agree. But some researchers say the lack of required testing amounts to a "don't ask, don't tell" policy about whether drug makers are contributing to water pollution.

"It doesn't pass the straight-face test to say pharmaceutical manufacturers are not emitting any of the compounds they're creating," said Kyla Bennett, who spent 10 years as an Environmental Protection Agency enforcement officer before becoming an ecologist and environmental attorney.

Pilot studies in the U.S. and abroad are now confirming those doubts. Last year the AP reported that trace amounts of a wide range of pharmaceuticals--including antibiotics, anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones--have been found in U.S. drinking water supplies. Pharmaceuticals have been detected in the drinking water of at least 51 million Americans.

Most cities and water providers still do not test for pharmaceuticals. Some scientists say that wherever researchers look, they will find pharma-tainted water. They are also increasingly concerned that the consumption of combinations of many drugs, even in small amounts, could harm humans over decades.

Source: An article by Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza, and Justin Pritchard for the Associated Press