Whether we like it or not, pharmaceuticals are in our water. What’s worse is that the presence of pharmaceuticals is not regulated in our drinking water supply.
Using or drinking bottled water isn’t necessarily the solution because the water within the bottles may contain these pharmaceuticals too. More often than not, bottled water comes out of a tap. If water is treated with reverse osmosis, it’s likely to be cleaner.
6 Ways Pharmaceuticals End Up In Our Water
- Human excretion.
- Flushing/dumping medications down the sink or toilet.
- Manufacturing waste.
- Animal excretion.
- Runoff from animal feeding stations.
- Leaching from municipal landfills.
The Negative Effects of Pharmaceuticals In Our Water
The Associated Press found an array of pharmaceuticals in metropolitan water suppliers such as pain killers, antibiotics, mood stabilizers, in 2008. More so, 34 of the 62 water suppliers who had been contacted by the Associated Press had never tested their water for pharmaceutical compounds and therefore, couldn’t provide results.
Another pharmaceutical chemical found in water is the presence of endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors disrupt internal biological processes such as development, growth, and reproduction. While it is unclear whether the compounds are sufficient enough levels in our waterways to be a cause of concern, there is currently ongoing research to determine this.
While there is no evidence stating pharmaceuticals in our water are harming humans, they most certainly are harming aquatic life.
One concern is the fish in the Potomac River. Male basses are producing eggs and other “intersex” fish are being found in rivers across the country. Keep in mind, scientists are still researching the cause of this mutation, and many of them theorize that the presence of endocrine disruptors is responsible.
How to Prevent Pharmaceuticals From Getting in Our Water
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Use drug take-back programs.
Many pharmacies and doctors offices will take your expired drugs and dispose of them for you correctly.
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Do not flush unused medicines down the toilet or sink.
This is one of the main causes, aside from human excretion, it is believed pharmaceuticals end up in our waterways.
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Throw your medications in the trash, smartly.
These medicines are typically thrown in the landfill after being incinerated. Remove them from their packaging, crush them, and seal them in a plastic bag with some water before throwing them away.
About Aquasani
Aquasani is an authorized dealer for Rainsoft, WaterLogic, & JavaSmart. Based in Springfield, Mo., Aquasani services areas in the Ozarks including Jefferson City, Springfield, Mo., Ozark, Nixa, Rogersville, Republic, Joplin, Branson, and even Harrison, Arkansas and Bentonville. In essence, we service Mid-Missouri, Southwest Missouri, and Northwest Arkansas, and have been servicing these areas since 2006. We offer home water softener systems, drinking water filtration systems, whole house air cleaner systems, problem-solving water filtration systems and we also offer a coffee service to businesses in these above-mentioned areas as well.
The coffee service business is simple: an office purchases coffee from us, and we provide the coffee maker/dispenser, deliver the coffee to the office as often as needed, and we even clean the coffee makers monthly.
We specialize in water filtration for both commercial businesses and residential homes. If that isn’t enough, we provide free trials for our coffee and water cooler services. If you would like a free estimate, schedule an appointment with us by calling (417) 881-4000 and one of our Aquasani teammates will sort you out!
