General Purpose
Castle 1
Emily Castle Comm 104-02 Dr. Davis March 7, 2016 Title: What’s In Our Drinking Water? General Purpose: To inform about the relationships between pharmaceuticals and drinking water. Specific Purpose: To inform how people incorrectly dispose of their medications, how this pollutes our water systems, and what we can do as a community to stop it. Thesis: The incorrect disposal of medications in our homes can pollute our water systems and create traces of drugs in the water we drink every day. With proper knowledge and correct disposal, this problem can be reduced. I.
II.
What’s in Our Drinking Water? A.
Imagine you are coming back from a long, hard run and want to grab a drink of water to feel refreshed. You take a huge gulp, not having any idea that the water you think is crisp and fresh tasting probably has traces of cocaine in it (Lubick, 2010, p. A213).
B.
Our drinking supplies have been tainted with small concentrations of medications and over the counter drugs because of people throwing out or flushing out their unused pharmaceuticals. A study in New Jersey done by the Environmental Working Group found over 100 different chemicals in the local drinking water (Pharmaceuticals in the Nation's Drinking Water, 2008).
C.
The incorrect disposal of medications in our homes can pollute our water systems and create traces of drugs in the water we drink every day. With proper knowledge and correct disposal, this problem can be reduced.
People often will dispose of their medications in simple, easy ways without really thinking of what happens after they are gone. A.
B.
For some people, they will just throw their unused or left over prescriptions in the garbage can. 1.
“Data collected from a medication collection program in California in 2007 suggest that about half of all medications — both prescription and over-the-counter — are discarded” (Drugs in the Water, 2008).
2.
Pharmaceuticals will end up in a landfill, and through runoff they can be washed down into water systems, that lead straight to our water treatment facilities where we get tap water from.
For other people, they think is ok to flush their pills down the toilet.
Castle 2
C. III.
1.
“Plenty of medications… end up in sewers, wastewater treatment plants, and… back to our water supplies” (Boerner, 2014).
2.
A study done in 2008 on 19 different water treatment facilities is the US found traces of over 50 different drugs, including common antianxiety and anticonvulsant medications (Benotti et al, 2008, p. 591).
The buildup of these thrown out drugs can start to build up higher concentrations, and start to have notable causes on the environment and our water supplies.
Over the years, an increasing amount of studies have found traces of drugs in water systems from rivers and ponds all the way to tap water. 1.
2.
3.
Landfill leachates, which is water that collects at a base of a landfill, was tested in various locations in Maine by the DEP for drugs, and results showed concentrations of Tylenol, Cipro, Penicillin, and cocaine (Lubick, 2010, p. A212A213). A.
This leachate water will run into rivers and lakes that water treatment plants use, which risks the chance of people drinking tap water with the same drugs still present inside the water.
B.
From these experiments, the DEP in Maine concluded that throwing out medications is not a safe or sustainable method (Lubick, 2010, p. A213).
Although the EPA discovered different medications and drugs in the country’s drinking water in 1975 (Pharmaceuticals in the Nation's Drinking Water, 2008), not many tests have been done to see the health effects that it could have on the people who drink it. A.
Benjamin Grumbles of the EPA stated that “while we know that pharmaceuticals have health effects at a therapeutic dose, we are less certain about the health effects associated with the long term exposure to much lower concentrations (Pharmaceuticals in the Nation's Drinking Water, 2008)
B.
While none of the amounts of are of a deadly dose, there could be bad effects from long term concentrations that aren’t known because studies would take decades to get real results (Boerner, 2014).
The effects of the drug polluted waters on aquatic life can give insight to what could be happening to humans if exposure continues. A.
In a study conducted by biologist Joanna Wilson, zebra fish “exposed to a mixture of drugs from 0.5 to 10 micrograms per liter… tend not to reproduce as much, and developing embryos have developmental problems and anatomical deformations (Boerner, 2014).
Castle 3
B.
4. IV
Other studies have found traces of antidepressants in the brain tissue of fish, as well as male fish with female qualities due to estrogen from common birth controls and hormonal pills (Drugs in the Water, 2011)
There are ways that we can all try to prevent the amount of medications that are polluting our drinking water
There are a lot of things that we can do as a community to reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals in our water and the effects that it brings with it. A.
“Ideally, medications should be given to a secure medication collection site or disposed of in an official take back system” (Nathan & Deamant, 2015, p. 83). 1.
2. B.
Last September, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker pronounced September 25 as “Drug Take Back Day” in Massachusetts (Schoenberg, 2015). a.
Statewide, there will be programs ready to accept unused or expired drugs so that they can be disposed of safely yearly on that day (Schoenberg, 2015).
b.
He also made reference of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Website, which provides a list of locations that are open year round to accept medications (Schoenberg, 2015)
There are numerous websites and sources that can be used to look back take back programs locally, making it an easy thing to do.
If there is no possible way to dispose of old medications, there are ways to better throw them out than to just toss them in the garbage. 1.
“The American Pharmacists Association… recommends that medications be crushed and or dissolved, mixed with kitty litter… then enclosed in a container or sealable baggie before disposal” (Lubick, 2010, p. A213).
2.
It is important to remove labels and personal information from prescriptions before throwing them out, as well making sure pills are not directly thrown in the trash.
C.
If we all try to properly dispose of our medications and drugs, as well as promote others to do the same, we can slowly make our water cleaner and chemical free.
V.
In conclusion, the simple act of throwing out a few different medications can have a large and direct effect on our lives 1.
The drugs that we throw put one day can be found in the water that we drink on a daily basis.
2.
With the proper knowledge of how to correctly dispose of these medications, every single person can slowly reduce the problem by taking the right steps that I have described today.
Castle 4
3.
No one likes cocaine in their water, so hopefully with the insight I gave today we can all take these simple, important steps and incorporate them into our lives to ensure that we are getting cleaner and greener drinking water.
Castle 5
Bibliography Benotti, M. J., Trebholm, R.A., Vanderford, B.J., Holady, J.C., Standford, B. D., & Snyder S.A. (2008). Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in U.S. Drinking Water [Abstract]. Environmental Science & Technology, 43(3), 597-603. Retrieved February 29, 2016. Boerner, L. K. (2014). The Complicated Question of Drugs in the Water. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/body/pharmaceuticals-in- the-water/ Drugs in the Water. (2016, June 1). Harvard News Letter. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/drugs-in-the-water Lubick, N. (2010). Drugs in the Environment: Do Pharmaceutical Take-Back Programs Make a Difference?. Environmental Health Perspectives, 118(5), A210-A214. doi:10.1289/ehp.1 18-a210 Nathan, S., & Deamant, C.D., (2015). Medication disposal #286. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 18(1), 82-83. doi:10.1089/jpm.2015.0004 Pharmaceuticals in the Nation's Drinking Water: Assessing Potential Risks and Actions to Address the Issue: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate. 110th Cong. 2 (2014). Schoenberg, S. (2015, September 25). Drop off unused prescription drugs at drug take-back day on Saturday. MassLive. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http.www.masslive.com/politics.ssf/2015/09/drop_off_unused_prescription_d.html
Emily Castle Comm 104-02 Dr. Davis March 7, 2016 Title: What’s In Our Drinking Water? General Purpose: To inform about the relationships between pharmaceuticals and drinking water. Specific Purpose: To inform how people incorrectly dispose of their medications, how this pollutes our water systems, and what we can do as a community to stop it. Thesis: The incorrect disposal of medications in our homes can pollute our water systems and create traces of drugs in the water we drink every day. With proper knowledge and correct disposal, this problem can be reduced. I.
II.
What’s in Our Drinking Water? A.
Imagine you are coming back from a long, hard run and want to grab a drink of water to feel refreshed. You take a huge gulp, not having any idea that the water you think is crisp and fresh tasting probably has traces of cocaine in it (Lubick, 2010, p. A213).
B.
Our drinking supplies have been tainted with small concentrations of medications and over the counter drugs because of people throwing out or flushing out their unused pharmaceuticals. A study in New Jersey done by the Environmental Working Group found over 100 different chemicals in the local drinking water (Pharmaceuticals in the Nation's Drinking Water, 2008).
C.
The incorrect disposal of medications in our homes can pollute our water systems and create traces of drugs in the water we drink every day. With proper knowledge and correct disposal, this problem can be reduced.
People often will dispose of their medications in simple, easy ways without really thinking of what happens after they are gone. A.
B.
For some people, they will just throw their unused or left over prescriptions in the garbage can. 1.
“Data collected from a medication collection program in California in 2007 suggest that about half of all medications — both prescription and over-the-counter — are discarded” (Drugs in the Water, 2008).
2.
Pharmaceuticals will end up in a landfill, and through runoff they can be washed down into water systems, that lead straight to our water treatment facilities where we get tap water from.
For other people, they think is ok to flush their pills down the toilet.
Castle 2
C. III.
1.
“Plenty of medications… end up in sewers, wastewater treatment plants, and… back to our water supplies” (Boerner, 2014).
2.
A study done in 2008 on 19 different water treatment facilities is the US found traces of over 50 different drugs, including common antianxiety and anticonvulsant medications (Benotti et al, 2008, p. 591).
The buildup of these thrown out drugs can start to build up higher concentrations, and start to have notable causes on the environment and our water supplies.
Over the years, an increasing amount of studies have found traces of drugs in water systems from rivers and ponds all the way to tap water. 1.
2.
3.
Landfill leachates, which is water that collects at a base of a landfill, was tested in various locations in Maine by the DEP for drugs, and results showed concentrations of Tylenol, Cipro, Penicillin, and cocaine (Lubick, 2010, p. A212A213). A.
This leachate water will run into rivers and lakes that water treatment plants use, which risks the chance of people drinking tap water with the same drugs still present inside the water.
B.
From these experiments, the DEP in Maine concluded that throwing out medications is not a safe or sustainable method (Lubick, 2010, p. A213).
Although the EPA discovered different medications and drugs in the country’s drinking water in 1975 (Pharmaceuticals in the Nation's Drinking Water, 2008), not many tests have been done to see the health effects that it could have on the people who drink it. A.
Benjamin Grumbles of the EPA stated that “while we know that pharmaceuticals have health effects at a therapeutic dose, we are less certain about the health effects associated with the long term exposure to much lower concentrations (Pharmaceuticals in the Nation's Drinking Water, 2008)
B.
While none of the amounts of are of a deadly dose, there could be bad effects from long term concentrations that aren’t known because studies would take decades to get real results (Boerner, 2014).
The effects of the drug polluted waters on aquatic life can give insight to what could be happening to humans if exposure continues. A.
In a study conducted by biologist Joanna Wilson, zebra fish “exposed to a mixture of drugs from 0.5 to 10 micrograms per liter… tend not to reproduce as much, and developing embryos have developmental problems and anatomical deformations (Boerner, 2014).
Castle 3
B.
4. IV
Other studies have found traces of antidepressants in the brain tissue of fish, as well as male fish with female qualities due to estrogen from common birth controls and hormonal pills (Drugs in the Water, 2011)
There are ways that we can all try to prevent the amount of medications that are polluting our drinking water
There are a lot of things that we can do as a community to reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals in our water and the effects that it brings with it. A.
“Ideally, medications should be given to a secure medication collection site or disposed of in an official take back system” (Nathan & Deamant, 2015, p. 83). 1.
2. B.
Last September, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker pronounced September 25 as “Drug Take Back Day” in Massachusetts (Schoenberg, 2015). a.
Statewide, there will be programs ready to accept unused or expired drugs so that they can be disposed of safely yearly on that day (Schoenberg, 2015).
b.
He also made reference of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Website, which provides a list of locations that are open year round to accept medications (Schoenberg, 2015)
There are numerous websites and sources that can be used to look back take back programs locally, making it an easy thing to do.
If there is no possible way to dispose of old medications, there are ways to better throw them out than to just toss them in the garbage. 1.
“The American Pharmacists Association… recommends that medications be crushed and or dissolved, mixed with kitty litter… then enclosed in a container or sealable baggie before disposal” (Lubick, 2010, p. A213).
2.
It is important to remove labels and personal information from prescriptions before throwing them out, as well making sure pills are not directly thrown in the trash.
C.
If we all try to properly dispose of our medications and drugs, as well as promote others to do the same, we can slowly make our water cleaner and chemical free.
V.
In conclusion, the simple act of throwing out a few different medications can have a large and direct effect on our lives 1.
The drugs that we throw put one day can be found in the water that we drink on a daily basis.
2.
With the proper knowledge of how to correctly dispose of these medications, every single person can slowly reduce the problem by taking the right steps that I have described today.
Castle 4
3.
No one likes cocaine in their water, so hopefully with the insight I gave today we can all take these simple, important steps and incorporate them into our lives to ensure that we are getting cleaner and greener drinking water.
Castle 5
Bibliography Benotti, M. J., Trebholm, R.A., Vanderford, B.J., Holady, J.C., Standford, B. D., & Snyder S.A. (2008). Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in U.S. Drinking Water [Abstract]. Environmental Science & Technology, 43(3), 597-603. Retrieved February 29, 2016. Boerner, L. K. (2014). The Complicated Question of Drugs in the Water. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/body/pharmaceuticals-in- the-water/ Drugs in the Water. (2016, June 1). Harvard News Letter. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/drugs-in-the-water Lubick, N. (2010). Drugs in the Environment: Do Pharmaceutical Take-Back Programs Make a Difference?. Environmental Health Perspectives, 118(5), A210-A214. doi:10.1289/ehp.1 18-a210 Nathan, S., & Deamant, C.D., (2015). Medication disposal #286. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 18(1), 82-83. doi:10.1089/jpm.2015.0004 Pharmaceuticals in the Nation's Drinking Water: Assessing Potential Risks and Actions to Address the Issue: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate. 110th Cong. 2 (2014). Schoenberg, S. (2015, September 25). Drop off unused prescription drugs at drug take-back day on Saturday. MassLive. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http.www.masslive.com/politics.ssf/2015/09/drop_off_unused_prescription_d.html
