Thursday, October 15, 2009
Yes, we know you're dying to know more about the "Big Dick" scandal now messily exploding all over the City Council race—and we're working with the Arts desk on a report of the poor man's "Piss Christ" escapade playing out this week. In the meantime, read Rhonda's account. (We think it's a shame she had to leave out the name of the piece: "Big Dick No. 1.")
But while we're massaging that piece: Dave Devine has a follow-up to his recent piece about pharmaceutical contamination in our groundwater wells:
Trace amounts of pharmaceutical contaminants were spotted in one well serving Marana back in 2008. But Tucson Water has now found them in several others.Tucson Water Director Jeff Biggs reveals in a memo that traces of drugs have been found in five of six wells tested near Marana.
Perfluoro octanesulfonate-PSOS, an ingredient once found in 3M Scotchguard products, was found
in low levels in all the wells. The anti-convulsant, mood-stabilizing drug carbamazepine, was found in four of them.
The other two—fluoxetine, an anti-depressant, and sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic used to treat urinary-tract infections—were each found in one well.
Only one of the contaminants—perfluoro octanesulfonate-PFOS—has a water-quality standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The highest amount found locally was at about one-third of that danger level.