| Recent studies have found that pharmaceuticals are present in water sources at low levels throughout the nation. Due to scientific uncertainty on the related risk of exposure to human health and the environment, the government does not currently regulate or consistently monitor for these chemicals. Specifically, I consider the question of how society should regulate pharmaceuticals in the water supply. This report discusses the nature of the problem and considers what regulatory tools can be used to address it. This research intends to explain and analyze how four regulatory tools---technology standards, quality controls, information disclosure, and market incentives---can help address pharmaceutical occurrence in water. I argue that regulators should take a customized approach to cost-effectively regulate pharmaceuticals.The framework I propose is one that regulators can use to determine what policy tool should apply to different components of the process by which pharmaceuticals enter and pervade water supplies. |
