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Pharmaceutical Pollution: What it is, and How Pharmaceutical Pollution Threatens Your Health

Americans are prescribed millions of doses ofmay be excreted back into the environment,
prescription drugs every year. Livestock areunchanged. What kinds of drugs -- and to what
given millions more. But after the pill hasextent -- are currently out there is anyone's
been swallowed or the injection taken, theguess. Padma Venkatraman, a postdoctoral
active components of the drugs do not becomefellow at Johns Hopkins who is part of the
inert or completely absorbed by the body. Farresearch team, believes the drugs most likely
from disappearing, the drugs are excreted andto be found at "toxicologically significant
now, scientists are finding, prescriptionlevels" include: Antidepressants
drugs are showing up in our ground water,Anti-convulsants Anti-cancer drugs
soil, waterways and even our drinking water.Anti-microbials "We're trying to make an
That's because our conventional sewageintelligent guess as to what's out there in
treatments may not be looking for drugs, andthe environment and what's probably toxic,"
certainly don't always remove them. Adding toVenkatraman said. Antibiotic-Resistant
the problem are prescription drugs thatBacteria on the Rise Just one problem
aren't used, then are flushed down the toiletstemming from pharmaceutical pollution is
or deposited in landfills -- ultimatelyantibiotic-resistant bacteria. When drugs are
ending up in the environment. This so-calledexcreted in waste, the compounds linger in
"pharmaceutical pollution" could have majorthe environment. In the case of livestock
implications on wildlife, agriculture andwaste, the antibiotic-laced manure is spread
humans -- yet is only beginning to bedirectly onto farm crops as fertilizer. From
studied. "This is an important new researchthere it may run off into nearby streams. The
area," said A. Lynn Roberts, leader of aresult is that bacteria is able to mutate
Johns Hopkins team that began a study tointo strains that are resistant to the widely
determine the scope of pharmaceuticalspread antibiotics, paving the way for
pollution in the United States. Robertsinfections that cannot be easily cured.
continued: "Over the past few years,According to the Centers for Disease Control
scientists in Europe have foundand Prevention, about 2 million people in
pharmaceuticals in natural waterways, sewagehospitals get infections each year, which
treatment effluents and even in drinkingcause 90,000 deaths. Of these, more than 70
water. Yet until this year [2003] there havepercent of the bacteria that causes these
been virtually no scientific studiesinfections are resistant to at least one
examining this issue in the United States.common antibiotic that is typically used to
It's important that we begin to look at thistreat them. Health Problems Remain a Mystery
because there are many ways in which"Little is known about the potential
pharmaceuticals in the environment couldinteractive effects" from complex mixtures of
produce undesirable effects on aquaticwaste contaminants in the environment,
organisms or even humans." How Widespread isaccording to USGS. For instance, Roberts
the Problem? Current estimates are stillpointed out that antidepressants work by
being gathered, but a study conducted inaltering levels of serotonin. However,
1999-2000 by the U.S. Geological Surveyserotonin causes many aquatic creatures to
(USGS) found that most waterways contain atspawn. The result could be that prescription
least some antibiotics, steroids, syntheticdrugs may alter breeding cycles in the wild.
hormones or other common drugs. Out of 139Further, drugs can have major impacts on
streams in 30 states, they found: About 80developing fetuses in humans. If small
percent contained trace amounts ofamounts showed up in drinking water, it could
contaminants Half the streams containedcause birth defects or other problems.
seven or more chemical compounds One-third"Pharmaceuticals have high biological
of the streams contained 10 or more compoundsactivity," Roberts said. "We may be able to
One water sample contained 38 chemicalstolerate them for a short period of time, but
"We're not talking about rampant dumping,"that doesn't mean they won't hurt us -- or
said one USGS survey official. "We're lookingdeveloping fetuses or aquatic organisms -- at
at the effect of normal existing usage forhigher concentrations or over a long period
these different chemicals." Just how manyof time." There is good news, and that is
drugs are we using currently? A lot. Here arethat attention to this issue is growing, and
some statistics just for antibiotics (notso is the drive to find out just what types
including any other types of drugs): Humansof problems may be occurring. The USGS
consume 235 million doses of antibiotics eachagrees, stating in their report that
year. Livestock and poultry producers"protecting the integrity of our water
administered more than 21 million pounds ofresources is one of the most essential
antibiotics to animals in 2004 alone. Whenenvironmental issues of the 21st century.
a drug is taken, experts say up to 90 percent



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