New GE Refrigerator Filters Trace Pharmaceuticals From Water

GE has begun marketing new refrigerators with filtration systems that removes 98 percent of five trace pharmaceuticals — ibuprofen, atenolol, fluoxetine, progesterone and trimethoprim — from water and ice

According to a 2010 study conducted by The Stevenson Co. on behalf of GE, consumers rated the protection of their water supply as their number-one environmental concern. In fiscal year 2010, 10 percent of all community water systems — serving more than 23 million people — sold water to consumers that violated at least one health-based EPA standard, GE says. And, an Associated Press investigation of tests conducted by water suppliers all over the country found low concentrations of dozens of pharmaceuticals in drinking water — including antibiotics, aspirin, blood pressure medications and antidepressants.

Learn more about pharmaceuticals in our water supply at Sustainable Brands.

*This article originally appeared on sustainablebrands.com