Pharmaceutical waste seems to be one of the dominant elements that are prevalent in our waters, and other aspects of the environment. These aforementioned elements are largely becoming a concern in today’s society because its effects have proven to be harmful towards our environment, and all of its existing forms of life. Through various ways, whether controllable or uncontrollable, pharmaceutical waste slowly and increasingly multiplies its presence within the environment. Additionally, it eventually trickles down into our waterways and causes a large array of damages. Some of the most common ways that this waste gets into the water includes: disposal through the drainage systems, farming fertilization methods and the maintenance of treatment plants. These methods are self-explanatory through their brief discussions, but it helps decipher whether the disposal of these dangerous wastes are intentional or not.
The most common way in which pharmaceutical waste gets into the environment is disposal through the drainage systems into the wastewater and surface waters. According to Nikolaou et al (2007), the wastewaters of hospitals and municipal buildings are the major contributors to the disposal of human pharmaceutical compounds. Additionally, veterinary pharmaceuticals get disposed into the environment and find themselves among the aquaculture, fields and run offs. The “main contamination pathways” for these drugs are said to be industrial and domestic disposal (Lawrence et al, 2005). Domestic waste is known to be the most consistent method of contamination because people are constantly flushing pills down their toilets or washing them down their sinks. On the contrary, industrial waste tends to be more accidentally disposed becau...
... middle of paper ...
...ow that the waste is not properly diminished by the use of traditional treatment processes (Han et al, 2005).
There are many pathways available by which pharmaceutical waste can find its way into our river, lakes, and groundwater. It has also become a growing concern because it harms the environment as a whole along with its various ecosystems. However, researchers have tried to find methods that can be implemented to eliminate this growing issue, and more tests have been done through the years to ensure a positive result in the water quality. Many scientists and researchers have been testing samples of water in rivers, surface water and wastewater plants all across the world to ensure that the pharmaceutical waste present in the water does not rise to a level at which it becomes extremely hazardous to the aquatic environment, agricultural livestock and ourselves.
...urkholder, J., Libra, B., Weyer, P., Heathcote, S., Kolpin, D., Thorne, P., et al. (2007). Impacts of waste from concentrated animal feeding operations on water quality. Environmental Health Perspectives, 11(2), 308–312. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1817674/pdf/ehp0115-000308.pdf
...kes a great argument showing us how the positive results outweigh the negative. Contamination isn’t so bad after all.
Disinfection is applied in water as well as wastewater treatment as a finishing step so as to destroy pathogens but the cause of concern regarding the disinfection process is the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Natural organic matter (NOM) in water has been considered as the predominant DBP precursors. Disinfectants are powerful oxidants that oxidize the organic matter present in water forming DBPs. Chlorine, ozone, chlorine dioxide, and chloramines are the most common disinfectants used nowadays and each produces its own suite of chemical DBPs in finished drinking water (Richardson, 2003). DBPs so formed pose a threat to human health because of their potential to cause cancer and reproductive/developmental effects. Most developed nations have regulated concentration of DBPs so as to minimize exposure to potentially harmful DBPs while maintaining adequate disinfection and control of targeted
It is imperative that domestic water provided for direct consumption and ingestion through food must be sanitary. Scientific research indicates that as many as 19 million Americans may become ill each year due to parasites, viruses a...
Bisphenol A (2,2-(4,4-dihydroxydiphenyl)propane) can be found in many areas across the urban world, including the air that humans breathe and the water that humans drink. BPA is soluble in organic substances, which allows it to effectively enter the human system (Staples, 1998). It is a readily biodegradable compound with a half-life of three days that is easily metabolized in the adult human body, as well as in other organisms (Staples, 1998). A study found that 99% of BPA was degraded into carbon dioxide and water in microbial populations (Staples, 1998). Because of the quick degradation of BPA in organisms, including humans, it has been concluded that the intake of the chemical is much higher than what can be measured through processes like blood and urine sampling (Vandenburg, 2007). There tends to be low bioaccumulation of...
Such is the condition of Texas waterways. The surging population in Texas, the numerous pharma, chemical and oil industries, landowners, farmers and other residents have been recklessly using water. Water is a limited resource and our best efforts in recycling, reusing and conserving water have not yielded the desired results. Climatic changes over the past few decades may have resulted in unpredictable rainfall in Texas. It is important to conserve water without polluting it. It is shocking to know that the drinking water has traces of arsenic, cyanide, nitrates, asbestos and mercury and lead. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Geological Survey after conducting studies have shown that water samples containing growth hormones, various antibiotics,birth control drugs, and many other chemicals end up in ground water. The Trinity River is highly polluted with bacteria from sewage. The high water pollution in Texas State by various sources causes environmental hazards and life threatening diseases like cancer and nerve damage; thus the government and community should intensify their efforts to reduce pollution and make drinking water safe.
There are many ways pollutants can enter lakes and rivers: agricultural and urban runoff, industrial outfalls, migration through groundwater, through the food chain, and many more. Many p...
Three Medical Doctors wrote the book, The Water We Drink: Water Quality and Its Effects on Health. Their names are Joshua I. Barzilay, M.D., Winkler G. Weinberg, M.D., and J. William Eley, M.D. In order to put the issue of drinking water quality and its effects on health into perspective, the book is divided into three parts. It first reviews the history of water, disease, and sanitation. The next section deals with health issues. At the conclusion of the book are chapters regarding bottled water and methods of purification. The intent of the book is to educate consumers.
our pipelines and sewers where it goes to a treatment plant to be treated, but
Each waste stream shall be treated as a potential health hazard. Excessive exposure to these waste streams must be reduced to the lowest possible level by using appropriate
This waste should not be pressured upon a geographical area if they do not create it. A clean and healthy environment is the only thing many lesser-developed countries have to cherish.
1999, 71, 181-215. Minear, R., Amy, G.. Water Disinfection and Natural Organic Matter: History and Overview. ACS Symposium Series -. 1996, 649, 1-9. Richardson, S. Water Analysis: Emerging Containments and Current Issues. Journal of Analytical Chemistry. 2003, 75, 2831-2857.
Pesticides are contaminating the Earth’s water supplies. There are seventeen pesticides found in twenty-three state’s water supplies right now. Scientists at Cornell University conclude that 99% of pesticides miss the intended source and find their way into the water, air and soil. Most of the pollution isn’t strong enough to create an immediate impact on humans so the wildlife is the primary target to these contaminates. Animals such as the European Starling birds are constantly being tested and found that they are greatly affected both behaviorally and psychologically.
Cunningham, William, and Mary Ann Cunningham. "Chapter 18: Water Pollution." Environmental Science. ; A Global Concern. 12th ed. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2011. 396-421. Print.
...or lakes (Weber 2). When people just dump waste products instead of recycling, it is a misuse of the soil and can contribute to serious health conditions in animals, plants and humans.