Drugs In Water Is Bad

Did it ever occur to you that the same drug that it saving you could be harming another life? Well, studies have shown that the way we dispose of our medicine can be toxic, not only to ourselves, but to the marine life as well. When we throw our medicine down the drain, in the trash or the toilet, we are polluting the water and environment around us with chemicals that are harmful to the aquatic life. People assume that throwing their drugs in the trash is a good solution to this problem because they aren 't disposing of them in a direct water stream. This thought process is extremely flawed because it will eventually just get absorbed into the ecosystem. A recent study has shown that fish are being tested positive for certain human hormones. This is due to the medicines they are being exposed to and absorbing, specifically birth control and testosterone (Dr. Thomas Cohen, Proper Opioid and painkiller Disposal, mnphysicalmedicine.com). Another study has shown that there have been “high levels of pharmaceutical residues that they are detecting in rivers and coastal waters across the world”(Anne Foy, The Effects of the Pharmaceutical Industry on the Ocean, Oceancrusaders.org). As the production of medicine by pharmaceutical companies increases, so does the threat to marine life. Unfortunately, this isn 't an issue caused by the individual alone, big companies and organizations are contributing to this issue as well by failing to properly dispose of medications. A huge amount of pharmaceutical companies, nursing homes, hospitals and people in general are disposing of their medications into landfills which “leak their liquid waste directly into the ocean” (Anne Foy, The Effects of the Pharmaceutical Industry on the Ocean, Oceancrusaders.org). Another study done by the U.S Geological Survey (in 1999 and 2000) has found that there were “measurable amounts of one or more medications in 80% of the water samples drawn from a network of 139 streams in 30 states”. …show more content…
These drugs include “antibiotics, antidepressants, blood thinners, heart medications, hormones and painkillers” (Harvard Health Publications, Drugs in the Water, www.health.harvard.edu). More studies have been done since then that have proven that there was in fact an increase in the medications and chemicals detected in the water since then. We can only assume that the concentration, as well as the amount of medications and chemicals in the water have only increased with the advancing production of medications. This obviously increases harm and negative effects on marine life even more. Studies have shown that intersex fish have been found in certain areas, in bodies of water, where there have been proved to be extremely concentrated amounts of pollution. This is believed to be caused by the disposal of hormones, specifically estrogen, (which can be found in birth control pills and postmenopausal prescriptions) into bodies of water. In addition to that, further research has shown that there was a concentration of “antidepressant medications concentrated in the brain tissue of fish” (Harvard Health Publications, Drugs in the Water, www.health.harvard.edu). These are only a few of the recorded negative effects that this type of pollution is having on our aquatic life. The longer we ignorantly disregard this issue, it will just grow into a greater one and as this issue worsens, so will its effects. Letter to, Environmental Protection Agency The harsh effects on our marine life caused by the way we dispose of medication is a big issue that