Are There Seriously Drugs in Drinking Water?

Public response to reports of drugs in drinking water samples are quite interesting to read. If nothing else, some of them tell us "why" there were drugs found in drinking water supplies and why the problem is so widespread.

You might expect that large communities with populations in the millions would need to worry about drugs in drinking water, but you might think that smaller communities were safe. They might be, it all depends on where there wastewater is dumped and how it is treated.

In response to the reports of drugs found in drinking water samples, one nurse, who lives in a community with a population around 10,000, reported that the hospital she works at regularly flushes antidepressants, antipsychotics, heart medications and tranquilizers down the toilet. If the wastewater is dumped into a stream or river, it becomes the problem of people who live downstream. They might rely on that stream or river as their freshwater source.

If the solid waste is granulated and sold for fertilizer, it becomes another community's problem, because it contaminates the groundwater. If it is pumped back into the community's reservoir, then it is the primary source of the drugs in drinking water in that area.

Extremists sometimes suggest that we get rid of "all" of the chemicals used in our societies. They believe that cancer is "rampant" because of the use of chemicals. That may be so, but there is no way to support and protect the health of the large populations that exist in the United States and other developed countries, without the use of chemicals.

If chlorination were discontinued, waterborne illnesses would kill tens of thousands every month. If doctors stopped prescribing medications and relied solely on herbs and other natural remedies, then the drugs found in drinking water would diminish, but countless lives would be lost every day.

If farmers stopped using hormones to beef up cattle, then we might reduce the number of drugs in drinking water, but there would probably be food shortages. If we refused to use antibiotics to treat our pets when they were sick or we prevented them from urinating on the sidewalk, then we could likely reduce the drugs found in drinking water samples.

All of the things mentioned here are causes of the drugs in drinking water. There is no way to address all of them. We don't even know how to safely dispose of pharmaceuticals, because scientists didn't think of that when they were developing them.

In order to address the issue, the individual needs to be a part of the solution. The public facilities do not have the ability to remove all traces of the drugs found in drinking water, but you do.

A home purification device with a carbon block and sub-micron particle filtration can remove all of the threats of drugs found in drinking water samples. You can be a part of the solution to this environmental problem.

You might have to forego a night on the town, but other than that, there is no reason not to invest in a home purification system. The drugs in drinking water are just the latest threat. There are many others, but if you choose the right home purifier, you won't have to worry about any of them.