Traces of ARVs in water won’t pose health hazards: Mahlobo

Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo has assured the public that the levels of water contamination by antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in South Africa’s water sources will not affect the standard of drinking water.

Mahlobo’s comments follow research that was conducted jointly by the North West University’s Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management and the Water and Sanitation Department’s Water Research Commission.

The study revealed significant concentrations of ARVs in water resources, particularly downstream of wastewater treatment plants.

It also found that concentrations of ARVs in some water sources exceeded acceptable thresholds, posing potential long-term health risks to humans.

However, Mahlobo says the level of contamination is too low such that it won’t pose any health hazard.

“With the very levels of the ARVs that have been traced, they are so negligent that it is not even easy to quantify it. They are actually made at a level of nanogram, which is one divided by a billion grams which is a very, very small number out of the 72 samples that were taken. At this stage, there is no need for worry because even ARVs, they don’t have any chemical components that would be actually affecting the standard of drinking water in our country and other issues.”