Residents of a Colorado town arebeing warned not to use their tap water because wells have been contaminated by the marijuana chemical THC.
Advertisement
Hugo Mayor Tom Lee says there hasn’t been the kind of acrimonious debate over marijuana in the town as there has been in other Colorado communities.
In this Thursday, July 21, 2016 photo, community members look on as Capt. Michael Yowell, of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, addresses the media in Hugo, Colo.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office will continue to investigate the forced entry and tampering with Hugo Well #1.
Somehow, evidence of tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, has been found in the town’s water supply, according to a report from CNN Friday.
Concerns about the water were first raised by an unidentified Hugo-based company conducting “field tests” to check employees for THC, according to the Denver Post. He said the manufacturer of the test kits has been contacted to find out why some tests came back positive. The local hospital released a statement saying it would take more THC “than any of us could afford” to contaminate a city water supply to the point where people would suffer any effects.
Possible health effects from ingesting THC contaminated drinking water depend on several factors, including how much THC is in the water, how much water a person drinks, and how long the person is drinking the water, the department said. Perrone told The Denver post that THC is “in no way soluble in water”.
“You know how oil and water separate?” They’re lipophilic, which means they’re fat-loving.
Megan Mosher, the spokesperson for Lincoln Memorial Hospital said they’re using water from the hospital’s reserve system for patients. “It takes so many steps to get a fat-soluble thing like a cannabinoid into something like a drink”.
Advertisement
Perrone’s sentiments were corroborated by a former Environmental Protection Agency scientist. The water tested positive for THC. Joseph Evans, who now runs the marijuana testing lab Nordic Analytical, does not see any potential for a health hazard due to the compounds insolubility in water.
