Drugs in the Water
by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC
The statistics are staggering. Millions of people in this country are on drugs and unfortunately there is nothing psychedelic about it. Most of us take hormones, anti-depressant, anti-biotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, anti-pain and anti-eating prescriptions as readily as we take an aspirin. And when the prescriptions change or expire, we discard them as thoughtlessly.
I don’t know when it happened, but our culture has come to think of the toilet as a magical place where things “disappear”. We’ve by now all seen dumpsters and landfills, hopefully jogging us into the reality that “throwing out” is not really throwing “away”. But, we still think of our sewer system as infinitely abysmal with the idea that, if you really want to get rid of something, “flush it”. This applies not only to individuals but to institutions as well.
The truth is, what goes into the toilet comes right back to us, whether it is household cleaners, a dead mouse or, even more frightening, prescription drugs. A study in Portland, OR shows that large amounts of medications as well as perfumes and cosmetics hang around in our rivers and lakes, messing with plant and animal life. Since our water treatment plants are not equipped to remove pharmaceuticals, it is suspected that these contaminants have been and will continue to mess with our health, too.
Flushing your unused meds isn’t the only way to drug the local water - we also pee them right into it. Developing countries have trouble visualizing a scenario where it would be logical to use drinking water as a waste disposal system, but we have yet to gain perspective on this as we continue to contaminate our shrinking water supply. This year, the federal government announced guidelines for safe disposal of prescription drugs and The Sierra Club is currently campaigning the EPA to ban the worst of the chemicals, but a change in consumer behavior is needed to take action now.
What else not to flush? That’s easy. Do not flush anything isn’t toilet paper or human waste. This includes dental floss, nail clippings or that dead mouse. Cleaning your toilet without harmful chemicals is easy - use one of the natural cleaning products widely available or make your own with vinegar and baking soda and other natural, inexpensive ingredients.
Those drugs? Preferably, your pharmacy or doctors office is part of a take-back program. You can also contact your local police department for more information. If not, take the steps necessary to “trash them” so that they won’t be purposefully or accidentally consumed by people or animals.
What else can you do to keep the water and your body healthy? Explore natural remedy options with alternative practitioners and/or consider changes in lifestyle and diet to treat what ails you. Prescription drugs can be a blessing when needed, but consider a safer way for you and the environment first.
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