A month after an Associated Press investigation revealed that the water supply of at least 41 million Americans is infested with a vast array of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, anti-consultants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones, Chicago officials announced Thursday that they have begun testing for pharmaceutical drugs in Lake Michigan drinking water and vowed to put the results on the Internet.

The announcement follows a Chicago Tribune investigation unveiling trace amounts of a prescription anti-seizure drug, a common painkiller, a nicotine byproduct, caffeine and two chemicals used to make Teflon and Scotchgard. The chemicals were found by a lab previously hired by the newspaper to make the analysis.

It’s true that the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, far below the levels of a medical dose, but everyone drinks water and according to doctors’ advice we should drink it in high quantities to keep ourselves healthy. Therefore, drinking high quantities of water leads to ingurgitating high quantities of these pharmaceuticals, which is bad for our health.

Following the Tribune article, Water Department Commissioner John Spatz said the city decided last month to conduct its own studies.

“This is an important environmental issue that has been brought to light. We should be monitoring and making sure it isn't getting in the water. And we need the health agencies to figure out if there is anything to be worried about,” Spatz said.

He also said the region’s drinking water is safe to drink after initial tests, looking for 76 compounds, were performed. He called the initial results “encouraging,” but he declined to provide details. However, he acknowledged there are growing concerns about effects on health from even low levels of pharmaceuticals in drinking water.