In the article "Pharmaceutical Disposal", Iburch (2015) mentions that 'pharmaceutical contamination' is a rising concern throughout the United States. Medicinal products infiltrate sewerage by many means. One of them being commonly practiced is by people 'flushing unwanted or unused medications'. Even though there are 'sewage treatment' systems, they are not made to get rid of 'these contaminants', which is a growing issue. The presence of drugs have been found in water sources and ‘drinking water supplies’ after being tested. ‘Pharmaceutical drug contamination’ has been found to affect ‘fish and aquatic life’ but has yet to be found to affect humans. ‘Take-back events and permanent drop-off locations’ are available in New York and Connecticut for people to safely dispose their medications.
While I agree with the author that pharmaceutical disposal plays a big part in contaminating water sources, there are also other major factors to consider. Medication consumed by animals or humans does not entirely get absorbed by the body, and the medications that do not get absorbed by the body are excreted through urine and faeces. Other pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) like perfume, cosmetic, soap and skin products that are used on clothing or skin can also enter water sources after being washed off. All these PPCPs get flushed or washed down into water sources. (Hirsch, 2013)
The author mentions that ‘fish and aquatic life’ are affected but he fails to mention that animals that prey on fishes and other aquatic life may get affected as well. Shah (2010) reports that vultures who ate animals that consumed pharmaceuticals were exposed and affected which shows that exposure to pharmaceuticals can cause a chain effect to happen. Iburch includes that humans have yet to be affected. However, it is a growing issue. Future health problems may start to surface after consuming drinking water that contains pharmaceuticals.
In the article, Iburch concludes that a critical part of solving the issue is to ‘stop flushing drugs’. He also mentions that there are ‘take-back events and permanent drop-off locations’ available in New York and Connecticut. Though the issue is happening throughout the nation, the author did not mention other alternatives of disposing medications if the drop off locations are not accessible to other people. There are other means of disposing unused or expired medications. An article from Harvard Health Publications (2011) provides other ways to dispose medications like mixing medications with ‘sawdust, cat litter, coffee grounds’ etc. before disposing to prevent the misuse of medications and to minimize the chances that stray animals might consume them. People can also reduce the quantity that they purchase so that disposal of expired or unused medications can be minimized. The public needs to be educated on how to handle their medications safely and also the importance of it.
In conclusion, the Iburch webpage gave a brief introduction to the contamination of water sources through flushing of drugs, the effects of it and also the action taken, although there are other major factors to consider like PPCPs and how other animals can be affected through a chain effect. The author could also give more information to educate the public on other methods of disposing medication.
References:
Burch, LW. (2015, March 4). Pharmaceutical Disposal. Retrieved
Hirsch K. (2013, September 16). Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products. Retrieved
Shah S. (2010, April 15). As Pharmaceutical Use Soars, Drugs Taint Water and
Wildlife. Retrieved from:
Harvard Medical School (2011, June 1). Drugs in the Water. Retrieved from:
National Capital Poison Center. (N.D.). Protect the Water Supply. Retrieved from:
Utah State University. (N.D.). Pharmaceuticals. Retrieved from:
Hi Eunice, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the article with us. In your post, you evaluated the various points presented by the author and asserted it with evidence from external reference. Improvements in your writing can also be seen over the past few drafts. However, there was a slight disparity in your citation. In your post, you mentioned Iburch even though it was Burch in your end text reference.
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