The department of water & sanitation (DWS) says it will engage with the University of North West on its findings of traces of antiretroviral (ARV) medicines in water resources.
TimesLIVE Premium reported that researchers at North West University (NWU) found ARV drugs used to treat HIV/Aids in South Africa’s rivers, dams and sometimes tap water at alarming levels.
The study, commissioned by the Water Research Commission (WRC), found ARV levels are especially high downstream of wastewater treatment plants, with drugs such as lopinavir and efavirenz often present in levels “far exceeding global norms”.
Suranie Horn, an NWU specialist in the impact of pollutants on ecosystems, said they were surprised by the concentrations of ARVs found in drinking water since the water was tested.
While the levels in drinking water were generally “very low”, Horn cautioned that the potential effects of long-term exposure remain unknown.
However, hazard risk assessments from the study indicate that some areas face “an unacceptable risk to human health”, with hazard quotients for several compounds exceeding the level considered safe.
Horn said ARVs were detected in South Africa’s water sources as early as 2015, but “not much has happened since then”.
The department said it has noted the media reports on the university's study, which indicates that ARVs appear to be entering water resources through municipal wastewater treatment systems, which are not typically designed to remove such chemicals.
It said that the engagement with the university will also address the associated possible impacts and will be conducted in conjunction with the WRC and the national department of health.
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