Prescription Medicines in Drinking Water

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

 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 

Water Bottles

http://www.canada.com/Water+bottle+show+sustainability/6384213/story.html

 

This article is about a ban stopping the selling of plastic water bottles in a town in Canada.  The ban would have many benefits. It would save money and would cut down on oil production, the cost of recycling, and lower the amount of garbage that would go into landfills. When there is less trash the amount will be easier to handle, and it will cost less to compile. Nanaimo city is being very civil and not forcing private companies to stop selling. If the bill passes it will show that some people really care about sustaining the Earth.  Students are even getting involved and getting petition in support of the ban.  The picture is also a  poster for the movie Tapped which is a movie about how water bottle companies are abusing water rights.

I am very happy to hear that there are people trying to help the environment.  I try and not use plastic water bottles. I even bought a reusable water bottle with a Brita filter. I really hope it gets passed and other towns make laws against plastic water bottles. It is also good that students are getting involved. This leads me to believe that younger people are also opposed to using plastic water bottles. It also makes me wonder  why we even  buy bottled  water ‽  It is a little ridiculous in the 1^st place that we let ourselves be tricked by these evil companies into buying their product that is a fundamental element in our existence. I hope that this movement spreads over the border into the US and makes some change as well. It is a little disgraceful that the water bottle companies have been allowed to trick people. It costs about 1000 times more for water from a water bottle compared to your tap, and companies are even abusing laws to drain as much water as possible.

Do you think that most people are willing to give up convenience for the environment?

Do you think that people should be going after other plastic items instead of water bottles?

Do you think the media and advertisements are responsible for this problem?

By Ryan Marinelli

Algal Blooms

Algal Blooms

http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/algal_bloom.htm

Picture: This is a picture of the cost of Shandong. Its waters are filled with algae due to an algal bloom.

Summary: Algal blooms are periods of time in which algae grow excessively in a specific body of water. They are often caused by an excess in nutrients which algae eat. Sometimes, algae can be as dense as millions of per milliliter of water. Animals and other plants cannot survive with massive amounts of water because of lack of sunlight. The more animals that die, the more algae grow because they feed on their decomposed matter. The only way the bloom can stop is either with human’s help or through natural processes.

Opinion/Reflection: This is not a good thing for bodies of water to be undergoing. If algae start to bloom in a lot in water, people should help clean it out immediately. Otherwise, it could take years for the algae to naturally die out.

Questions:

1.       How long does it take for the algae to die naturally?

2.       How can you help this problem?

3.       When and where do algal blooms usually occur?

Hydraulic Fracturing and Contaminants

"Fracking" can cause dangerous contaminations in drinking water. This picture shows the shocking flammability of the water people are expected to drink.

Hydraulic fracturing is the process used by some oil companies to attain oil from areas not usually used for oil seeking. In this process, harsh chemicals and water are pumped into the earth, used to break the rock layers and free the oil. However, fracking, as it is called colloquially, causes major contamination of water sources. The chemicals and contaminated water used in the process are pumped elsewhere for storage, while the drinking water of local people is severely contaminated, due to the permeable nature of the rocks. In Dimock, a town in Pennsylvania, contaminant levels were extremely high, yet the EPA did not consider it a violation. This is because some of the chemicals in the water were not even considered on the list of limited contaminants, such as methane. The tap water of many of these people contains so much methane that wells and pipes explode, water can burst into flames, and the air in their homes shows a higher concentration of methane. Though it is not poisonous to be consumed, it can accumulate in homes and suffocate the residents. When tested, the water also showed, in some cases, twice the legal amount of arsenic. Some cancer causing chemicals along with lead were also found. Water is being tested again by the EPA to see if there is a definite connection between fracking and high levels of contamination. Of course, it probably is the case, as many areas with fracking in place experience similar problems.

Fracking is a serious problem, and needs to be addressed. Of course, economic issues prevent much from being done. Fracking is a positive thing for local economies, and creates jobs.  For this reason, officials may be hesitant to address the issue. Of course, they should realize that the health and safety of the citizens and environment is much more important than economic worries. Flammable water, suffocation, lead, and carcinogens are extremely problematic, and to not address these worries is to show a blatant disregard for human life.

1. What chemicals are used in fracking? How can they be harmful?

2. What are some postives of fracking?

3. Why would the EPA standards for contamination not including these contaminants prevent them from challenging oil companies?


http://www.propublica.org/article/so-is-dimocks-water-really-safe-to-drink



NBC and the Global Quest for Water Availability

http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/1632007849.html 

Picture: This is what it is like when Africans are able to get clean water. It is as if they are opening their presents on Christmas day

Summary: While the whole world still believes that we can never run out of water, most of Africa thinks very differently. Many people in Africa lack the same access to safe water we have in the U.S. . Those same people are also dieing of water related diseases. In addition to this poor people living in the slums of Africa have to pay almost 5-10 times more than we have to, per liter of water.Luckily some organizations, such as the Nigeria Bottling Company, are taking initiatives to bring this problem to the attention of westerners and the whole world. NBC has also started supporting this great cause.Just recently they have joined the United Nations for this motive. One of the biggest goals being set right now is to provide clean and safe water to five million Africans by 2015. Although this is a huge goal, it can be achieved with much cooperation and persistence from everybody around the world. 

Opinion:When drinking water, I never think that this same water could be saving hundreds of people in Africa and other third world countries. I feel very thankful that I am able to receive this water, but at the same time I feel as very guilty. We, as a country and a species, need to help our fellow human beings and help get them clean water.Africa is in the spotlight for their lack of clean water, but we also need to think about all of the other third world countries that are suffering from the lack of clean water. The least we could do is maybe donate some of our clean water to help these poor people.

Questions:

1. Exactly how much clean water would it take to supply all of the countries lacking it?

2.What else is the U.S. doing to help with this lack of clean water besides of that stated in the article?

3. If we give some of our clean water to Africa will we eventually run out, or do we have a plentiful supply of this water?

4. Why isn't this topic as heavily covered in the news as murder cases?

Population and Women's Rights



This image is one of a crowded street in India, the country currently experiencing the greatest growth in population.

Summary:

The human population's recent increase in growth is nothing short of astounding. Yet women's rights and rights to make decisions concerning their reproductive health are being attacked politically from many angles. Contraception being widely accessible to women could ease the population problem greatly. Even in countries with shrinking populations, the women's rights issue is relevant. If women did not have to choose between their families and their careers, populations would probably be more stable. In the end, the article suggests that the population problem can be solved by women having more rights, options, and education, worldwide.

Reflection: This seems only logical to me, that if a woman has the freedom to make her own decisions concerning how many children to have, and the oppurtunity to have both a flourishing family and career, that she would probably choose a logical number of children, for whom she can care whilst still working, if that is indeed her choice. I have no clue why anyone would attack the rights of women to reproductive education and health care, especially if it can solve the problems with population.

Questions:

1.What can be done to provide more education and rights to women concerning reproduction?

2. Why would the education of women solve the population problem/

3. Can governments do anything to provide these rights, if so, what?

4.What other groups of people do you think determine the population's growth, and why?

Lizards Building Defense Against Poison

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2012/02/28/toxicomania-poisonous-invasive-plant-protects-australian-lizards-cane-toads/



A flower known as the mother of millions is reproducing very quickly.  The flowers contain a type of poison and kill cattle that devour them. The poison found in the mother of millions plant was a lot like the poison found in some frogs. When the lizards ate the flower they gained a defense against the toads poison and allowed them to eat them with out feeling the effects of the poison to the fullest extend. Through natural selection  also helped snakes develop a tolerance to the poison, it only took 20 to 40 generations to take effect.  The Australian government is going to focus on destroying the frogs were the mother of millions is not present, and would have a bigger impact on species 

I think it is crazy how fast natural selection can work. I was told for most animals it would take a human life for changes to be noticed but it seems like it happens a lot faster than that. It also seems a little like a game in some ways.  One animal makes a move to get a jump another, if the other animal does not a move then it will lose and die. I also think it is interesting to see that some exotic species are not always bad ,as in this case. It is still bad though since many animals still die from the flowers poison.

1. How fast does it take for natural selection to take place?
2. How much will the population of toads drop?
3. Could the toads go through natural selection and get an even stronger poison?