Some of the latest
health summits have looked at which environmental medicines are a risk to
consumers. These groups recognize that the concentration of medicines found in
food and water supplies is very small. Still, there is worry over even trace
amounts of medicine in the American diet. At the moment, we do not know if
these medicines can harm the body over several years of exposure.
Safety issues that may be linked to medicines in
national water sources:
• Possible increased rates of cancer
• Possible organ damage from long periods of exposure to medicine
• Possible organ damage from the intake of unusual mixtures of medicines
• The development of antibiotic resistant bacteria
• Possible organ damage from long periods of exposure to medicine
• Possible organ damage from the intake of unusual mixtures of medicines
• The development of antibiotic resistant bacteria
Americans spend
billions of dollars on prescription drugs every year. After being taken these
medicines are eventually removed by the body and flushed into the water supply.
Many people also flush unused medicines down their toilets as a means of
disposal. Fortunately, medicines in the environment are found very small
amounts. medicines in drinking water are usually found in parts-per-billion or
parts-per-trillion quantities. such small levels supposedly do not affect human
health. However, others claim that any amount of medicine can be harmful. They
argue that traces of medicine can have long-term effects at even low
concentrations.
The jury is still out on
the health impact of medicines in the environment. Most of the data says that
the current dose of medication in your food and water is too small to cause any
immediate health risks. However, some
experts question if this claim is true for all populations. Those with
allergies to medications, for example, may be more susceptible to small doses. Environmental
groups have also expressed concern for vulnerable populations such as children
and the elderly. Remember that the concern is long-term effects caused by
exposure over many years. The effects of this long-term exposure are yet to be
determined.
Reflection: wow, it was
really hard to find an article that wasn’t about cleaning out the prescription
meds in drinking water. Seriously though, prescription medicines in drinking
water can be really dangerous. Anyone who has seen ads for different medicines
will know how many side effects a lot of these medicines have, and a lot of
medicines have really bad effects when mixed with other medicines, sometimes
even fatal. Even though the dose would be really small, smaller effects could
happen.
Questions:
Why do people flush
medicines down the toilet if they have extras that they are not going to use
instead of throwing them away?
How can we prevent more
medicine from getting into the water supply?
Do you think that the
trace amounts will have negative long term effects?
http://www.consumer-health.com/services/PrescriptionDrugsinYourFoodandDrinkingWater.php
http://www.consumer-health.com/services/PrescriptionDrugsinYourFoodandDrinkingWater.php
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