The Danger About Drugs in Our Drinking Water

I was frustrated after reading about this article at the Onearth online literary journal: “Using highly sensitive assays, the agency found traces of 82 different organic contaminants — fertilizers and flame retardants as well as pharmaceuticals — in surface waters across the nation. These drugs included natural and synthetic hormones, antibiotics, antihypertensives, painkillers, and antidepressants.”

I felt I needed to know more about this so I did some more research on the internet about this issue. I was concerned enough to want to know more about what we are drinking in our water every day. I also wondered if this could be absorbed through the skin when we bath or shower. What I found out made me decide to look into water filtration systems for the home. We need to keep ourselves safe from the dangers of these contaminates. We also need to think about what we can do to help keep these substances from harming the environment.

I found documented information on the internet about these chemicals, prescription drugs, fertilizers, and more in connection with our drinking water supply. The question is what is this free flow of toxins going into our ground water doing to the environment? If it continues, what problems will we have in the future?

Already growing evidence that cannot be ignored displays abnormalities in fish and amphibians that inhabit our water shed. These creatures represent the canaries of our environment and the effects these chemicals and drugs have on their biological development could point to something far worse for us humans who not just drink this water, but also consume animals and plants who absorb these chemicals form the water.

We have used many of these chemicals and prescriptions for a lot of years, so why are we just hearing about it now? Simple because in earlier days they did not have the technology they have today to detect most of these toxins. Groups from Europe, the United States, and university students were involved in making the media and certain officials aware of this issue.

Hormones, birth control, antibiotics, mood stabilizers, calcium blockers and other prescription drugs, pain killers, and over the counter drugs were all found in low levels when the water was tested.

When we take medicine it doesn’t all get absorbed by our bodies. Some is expelled as waste and is flushed down the toilet. Many of us also flush our unused pills down the drain and into the sewer system. Heavy metals have also been found in the water as well as DDT and arsenic just to name a few. More and more new poisons are being found every year.

Believe it or not all of these can be removed with the technology we have. This is not getting done due to lack of concern or lack of money to fund the process it would require to do it. Our water, which already has toxins and chemicals in it is having more chemicals put into it to remove bacteria after it goes from our toilet to the treatment plant. The solid wastes are filtered out leaving the toxins such as DDT and mercury in, and adding even more chemicals to make it “safe” to drink.

The water is then sent back to us to drink and use or put back into the environment where it ends up in wells or lakes and streams.

We all need to try to find other ways to dispose of our unused medicine and also do all we can to get our water fit for us to drink and use. We will need to filter our own water that we use to keep us safe from the hazards that may be present in the water we drink.

Several water filtration systems are on the market today filter out 99% or more of the contaminants in our water. These water filtration systems can be installed in whole home systems and at the source such as shower heads, drinking water faucets, and other inlets.

The water filtration systems recommended that remove the most contaminate include reverse osmosis, nano-filtration, activated carbon, and home distillation followed by membrane filters. However, to be effective, the filters on these must be installed properly and replaced according to the manufacturers directions. All too often the filters are installed improperly or used past their lifespan, which renders them ineffective.

You need to have your water tested at a testing facility or buy your own test kit to use at home. You should test your water at regular intervals to confirm that your filter is working properly.

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