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What’s in our water? The disposal of drugs in our drinking water system

This article explores the improper disposal of drugs in our drinking water system, the risks associated with contaminated water, and the need for stricter laws and penalties. It discusses the different modes of drug disposal and highlights the lack of regulation and testing in treatment plants.

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What’s in our water? The disposal of drugs in our drinking water system

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  1. What’s in our water? The disposal of drugs in our drinking water system Amber L. Ross Dr. R. Thron PUBH 8165 May 5, 2011 Environmental Health Project

  2. Objectives • Understand the modes of disposal concerning drugs in our drinking water systems. • Understand the rate of disease cases, deaths and carcinogenic risks related to contaminated drinking water in the U.S. and other countries • Demonstrate the need for tougher laws and penalties toward improper disposal of medications.

  3. Understand the modes of disposal concerning drugs in our drinking water systems • Rivers – rivers are evident by the remains on the surface moving from higher to lower altitudes in respect to gravity. • Streams– stream flow refers to the amount of water flowing in a river. • Lakes – lake is where surface-water runoff (and maybe some ground-water seepage) have accumulated in a low spot, relative to the surrounding countryside. • Toilets– has been a source used to dispense expired or unused medications which travels back to our main water source.

  4. Antibiotic resistant medicines in the river (2009) http://cogtoronto.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/super-bacteria-in-fertilizer-breeding-more-super-bugs/

  5. Unwanted prescribed antibiotics in the stream. (2009). http://www.targethealthglobal.com/

  6. Duane Moser, an assistant research professor with Desert Research Institute, collects water samples from the Las Vegas Wash in Henderson, Nevada Donn, J., Mendoza, M., Pritchard, J. (2008) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23503485/ns/health-health_care

  7. Discarding unwanted antibiotics and liquid medicines in the toilet. (2007). http://www.charlottechd.com/EH/MedDisposal.html

  8. Understand the rate of disease occurrences, deaths and carcinogenic risks related to contaminated drinking water in the U.S. and other countries • Just 10 years ago, reports show that 39 outbreaks occurred here in the U.S., and previous to that 59 outbreaks occurred involving recreational water. (Moeller, D. 2005) • In the U.S., two deaths were reported between 1997 and 1998 due contaminated drinking water. (Moeller, D. 2005) • Treatment plants do not test pharmaceuticals on a regular basis because no Environmental Protection Agency regulations required it to do so. (Van Dyke, A. 2009)

  9. A girl waits to collect drinking water from a water tanker in New Delhi, (2007) Credit: Reuters/Parth Sanyal http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/07/us-bacteria-superbugs-india-idUSTRE7357W920110407

  10. Antibiotic resistance genes have been found in bacteria in drinking water and sewage, far the hospitals the usually haunt.GurinderOsan / AP Photo http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110407/full/news.2011.218.html?s=news_rss

  11. Demonstrate the need for tougher laws and penalties toward improper disposal of medications • Currently, there are no safety limits on drugs in drinking water. (Snyder, E. 2008) • U.S. officials are uneasy discussing these dangers. So are water utilities. For now, nothing is being done to limit drugs in the water supply. (Uehling, M. 2001) • Treatment plants do not test pharmaceuticals on a regular basis because no Environmental Protection Agency regulations required it to do so. (Van Dyke, A. 2009)

  12. Further Reading Online Sources • http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm • http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3397&tab=related • http://www.waterindustry.org/Water-Facts/new-pollutants.htm • http://waterfilterauthority.com/ • http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/gwr/index.cfm • http://www.allthingshealing.com/Organic-Living/Are-There-Drugs-in-Our-Water-Supply/6340

  13. Reference • Bynum, J. (2008). Dental diseases by bacteria in drinking water. The Watchers. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://thewatchers.us/dental_disease.html • Chuanwu, X., Zhang, Y., Marrs, C. et. al. (2009). Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in Drinking Water Treatment and Distribution Systems. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. [Online]. Retrieved on April15, 2011 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2737933/ • Gleick, P. (2002). Dirty Water:Estimated Deaths from Water-Related Diseases 2000-2020. Pacific Institute Research Report. [Online]. Retrieved on April 18, 2011 from http://pacinst.org/reports/water_related_deaths/water_related_deaths_report.pdf

  14. Reference • King, T. (2000). Antibiotics in your drinking water. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 fromhttp://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/food_safety/49083 • Lubick, N. (2011). Antibiotic resistance shows up in India’s drinking water. Nature. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110407/full/news.2011.218.html • Moeller, D. (2005). Environmental Health. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts

  15. Reference • Perlman, H. (2011). Earth’s Water: Rivers and Streams. U.S. G. S. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthrivers.html • Pioneering study finds small amounts of dairy antibiotics in groundwater. (2010). UC Davis. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=9582 • Rastogi, N. Should you flush your drugs down the toilet. (2009). The Green Lantern. [Online]. Retrieved on April 28, 2011 from http://www.slate.com/id/2236431/

  16. Reference • Recommendations for clean and safe water for the 21st century. (n. d.). Water Infrastructure Network. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://win-water.org/reports/winow.pdf • S. 3397:Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010. (2010). Gov Track. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3397&tab=related • Schaaf, B. (2010). Cholera, Water, and Recovery in Haiti. Haiti • Innovation. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from • http://www.haitiinnovation.org/en/2010/10/29/cholera-water-and-recovery- • haiti

  17. Reference • Stranahan, S. (2009). Drugs in our drinking water. AARP Bulletin Today. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://www.safemeddisposal.com/documents/AARPFeb2709.pdf • The Health Effects Of Drinking Water Contamination. (2005). The Ralph Nader Institute. Belkraft. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://www.belkraft.com/DrinkingWaterContamination.htm • Typhoid Fever in the United States. (2001). National Institutes of Health. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/typhoid_background.cfm

  18. Reference • Uehling, M. (2001). Free drugs from your faucet. Salon. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://www.salon.com/technology/feature/2001/10/25/drugs_water • Van Dyke, A. (2009). Dirty mouth: Water may not be clean. Kansan. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://www.kansan.com/news/2009/sep/14/tap_water • Wallinga, D. (2004). Concentrated animal feeding operations: Health risks from water pollution. Institute for agriculture and trade policy. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refID=37390

  19. Reference • Water related Diseases. (2001). World Health Organization. [Online]. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases/en • Xi, C., Zhang, Y., Marrs, C., Ye, W., Simon, C., Foxman, B., Nriagu, J. (2009). Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in Drinking Water Treatment and Distribution SystemsAppl. Environ. Microbiol. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from http://aem.asm.org/cgi/reprint/AEM.00382-09v1

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