A startling conclusion that most are hoping to keep under wraps, or at least to deny until it becomes a real epidemic: We are finding drugs in our drinking water. Yes, the truth is being made clearer, there are drugs found in US drinking water that simply should not be there. And while the amount of drugs in our drinking water is really only small, trace amounts, consider the implications of drinking what you believe to be clear, purified water, and finding instead that you are ingesting trace amounts of a virtual pharmacy of anti depressants, anxiety drugs, asthma drugs, pain medications, cancer medications, antibiotics, and compounds traditionally found in shampoos, conditioners, soaps and antiperspirants.
Most people may assume that water is properly and effectively filtered before it reaches our homes, but now the truth is being released: Studies are now showing that the drugs found in US drinking water include mood stabilizers, antibiotics, sexual hormones, and many other chemical compounds. Finding drugs in our drinking water may not necessary sound like a terrible problem, but if you consider long term exposure, especially to drugs that you are not meant to be taking, the implications are certainly worrisome.
So how are we acquiring drugs in our drinking water? The answer to why there are drugs found in US drinking water is simple: More than half of the population of the United States is taking some type of pill daily, be it a sexual hormone, a pain killer, asthma medication, an antibiotic, or one of thousands of other types of medications. A portion of the remains of these drugs end up in wastewater, which may be cleaned and treated, but usually not enough to remove all traces of these medications, which reach rivers and reservoirs and eventually culminate together in the form of a collection of drugs in our drinking water.
The problem surrounding drugs in our drinking water may not have reached epic proportions yet, but it is well on its way to becoming a serious problem requiring serious consideration. The problem surrounding drugs in our drinking water is not going to go away, as numerous studies have revealed drugs found in US drinking water in a number of large metropolitan cities all over the country. For example, in water tested in New York City, heart medication, tranquilizers and estrogen were all present. The amount of drugs in our drinking water may be trace amounts at best, but any measurable amount of drugs in our drinking water is too much, if you consider the implications of long term exposure.
This issue is not only occurring in the United States, as people all over the globe are finding drugs in their drinking water through random testing, especially in large metropolitan cities. Many countries around the globe are experiencing concerns about drugs in our drinking water. The most advantageous and cost effective way to reduce the amount of drugs in our drinking water is simply to install a home water filter system, as most are designed specifically to remove these harmful drugs and other contaminants from the drinking water. Some are even designed to insert healthful minerals into the water following purification.
Article 3 Title: Are There Prescription Drugs in Drinking Water?goarticles.com 20.08.08 Keywords: prescription drugs in drinking water, drugs in the drinking water,
Are there prescription drugs in the drinking water? According to a number of water studies conducted not only in the United States but also in other countries across the globe, there are prescription drugs in drinking water in waterways all throughout the world, and they could potentially be posing risks to our health and the health of our children. In order to fully understand what risks are actually involved pertaining to drugs in the drinking water, researchers across the globe have been looking at what happens to cell lines in a laboratory when exposed to contaminated drinking water samples.
Most pharmaceutical companies have created acceptable daily intake amounts for their drugs, establishing that as long as the trace amounts of prescription drugs in drinking water are less than this amount, then the drugs in the drinking water can be deemed safe. This does not make sense, however, because taking any amount of a drug that isn’t meant for you can be harmful, even in trace amounts over a period of time.
Everything that is flushed down the drain or otherwise disposed of improperly is eventually going to work its way through to the public water system, ending up in our oceans, our streams, our rivers and our drinking water supplies for that matter. The reason why there are drugs in the drinking water to begin with is because we are improperly disposing of medical waste, prescription drugs and other chemical compounds, and they are not being properly filtered out of our water before it is deemed safe for human consumption.
Right now to eliminate some of the problem pertaining to drugs in the drinking water, scientists are looking for new and creative ways to dispose of pharmaceuticals and other chemical compounds that are safer for the environment and for our health. In the past, flushing pharmaceuticals and other chemical compounds was deemed to be not only a safe method of disposal, but also the recommended one. Unfortunately, this is exactly why there are prescription drugs in drinking water today; because we were wrong about how safely pharmaceutical drugs could be disposed of.
