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Cosmetics 'harm drinking water'

The risks from chemicals poured down drains in unwanted cosmetics and medicines need to be assessed, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has warned.

Concerns have been raised by the society that everyday products may be having an adverse effect on Britain's water supply when flushed away.

RSC environment and energy manager Dr Jeff Hardy said that advances in analytical chemistry have made it possible for scientists to detect "really tiny amounts" of substances which had previously been invisible.

"Now that we're able to detect substances in water that previously we weren't able to, we really need to now understand how these substances are getting into water; what's happening to them in water; are they breaking down; are they staying there; and ultimately what, if any, risks there are to human and environmental health of these substances in water," he told the Today programme.

Dr Hardy said there are three groups of contaminants that the RSC has identified: pharmaceutical products, personal care products and nano-materials - small particles of substances found in products such as sun creams and cleaning materials.

He stressed, however, that the RSC is not opposed to the use of these products but he felt it would be "rather remiss of us not to have a better look and to see exactly what risks, if any, these pose".

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