We blame much of drinking water pollution on big oil, big pharma and other large entities like big industrial corporations. But are we also responsible for adding to the water pollution problem with our own prescription drugs?
According to an article by The Columbus Dispatch, a new form of pollution is being detected in our waters. People are flushing their expired prescription drugs down their toilet into the water.
The pharma waste that enter into our waters include:
- Birth-control pills
- Antidepressants
- Blood-pressure medications
- Antibiotics
- Household cleaning products and detergents
- Insect repellents
Also leftover caffeine from the stale coffee we don’t drink and even steroids also are detected in our water.
Experts call these contaminants, “emerging contaminants.” because we are only discovering them now through the new technology used to detect them. It’s shocking that they’ve been in our streams, rivers and lakes for decades.
So the fact is there has always been pollution in water even though the amounts are very small. Many of these pollutants, which hospitals, pharmacies and factory farms are allowed to dump into waste water, are measured in parts per trillion. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates standard concentration of common pollutants in our drinking water.
So why is this important? It is because these emerging contaminants can pass through into our drinking water. For example, a 2010 U.S. Geological Survey study found traces of 12 antibiotics in the Scioto River and found three of them — azithromycin, roxithromycin and tylosin — had passed through Columbus water treatment plants and made it into drinking water. Can anybody say, yuck!
We cannot take this report lightly. Every American must be sure the water they are drinking is 100% clean of contaminants. Here are ways you can be sure for your family’s health and longevity.
For safe disposal of unused medicines read this important info on Disposing Drugs and Unused Medicine
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