"Tests Find Antibiotic, Other Contaminants in Tampa's Drinking Water"

"TAMPA - The tap water that Tampa residents consume is contaminated with low levels of antibiotics, nicotine byproducts and a chemical used to produce firefighting foams.

City and state officials say the levels of the contaminants – found in recent tests of the city's drinking water system – are miniscule and that the city's water is safe to drink.

But the presence of the contaminants raises questions about what is coming out of the faucets in tens of thousands of households served by the city's water system.

State and federal environmental regulators say they know little about possible health risks from the cocktail of contaminants that in recent years have been found in water supplies across the country. They are only beginning to study the long-term effects."

Christian M. Wade reports for the Tampa Tribune January 5, 2010.