National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in Streams of the U.S., 1999-2000

This field reconnaissance is using newly developed laboratory methods to provide baseline information on the environmental occurrence of a wide range of organic wastewater contaminants in the Nation's streams. By design, most streams sampled were known, or suspected to be, susceptible to sources of human, animal or industrial wastewater. During 1999 and 2000, a network of 139 streams were sampled across 30 states.

New Results are available:

• “Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams, 1999-2000: A National Reconnaissance”; Environmental Science & Technology, v. 36, no. 6, pages 1202-1211
  
• The companion USGS Data report, “Water-quality data for pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000” (USGS Open-File Report 02-94).
  
• A Fact Sheet, “Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams”, (FS-027-02)
  
• Frequently Asked Questions

ERRATA: Shortly after the publication of our stream reconnaissance study, it was discovered that seven concentrations for 17a-ethynyl estradiol (EE2) and four concentrations for mestranol, that had been rejected as having potential interferences, were not corrected in the final published database. Corrections to the journal article are available here, and will be published in an upcoming issue of Environmental Science & Technology. Copies of the data report or Fact Sheet retrieved from this web site prior to July 23, 2002 should be replaced by the current version. Specific errata are accessible here for the Data Report and Fact Sheet.

Related Headlines

• National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams is Making an Impact
• "National Reconnaissance of Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in Streams" Named as One of the Top 100 Science Stories of the Year
  
• Measuring Pesticides and How They Transform in the Environment
  

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