Researchers have said that Chemicals and pharmaceuticals are surviving waste treatment efforts and ending up in the Ohio River near Louisville, Ky.

The (Louisville) Courier-Journal reported on Monday that antidepressants, veterinary hormones and even cocaine have been detected both upstream and downstream from the city in a river used for drinking water.

The newspaper also said that researchers say there's minimal danger to the 5 million people who get their drinking water from the 981-mile-long river because the contaminants are in extremely low concentrations.

But other scientists who've reviewed the date say some of the polluting substances have been tied to feminization of male fish.

Biologist Peter DeFur, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University who specializes in chemical contaminants in the environment, said, "When we see something this basic being altered in fish, we should be concerned about what it's doing to our own health."

The study sampled 22 locations from Pittsburgh to Paducah, Ky., and found a widespread presence in the Ohio of what are called "contaminants of emerging concern" by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Some drugs and chemicals in the river are probably passing through treatment systems into drinking water, experts have said.

Leonard Buckner, a Louisville Water Co. customer, said, "I don't like the idea of taking somebody else's medication through my water supply. It seems like we need to understand this better." (With Inputs from Agencies)