Now who is dumping what into our river?!?

Many in the Berkshires are furious that the General Electric Company dumped PCBs into our river and isn't willingly trying to clean it up in the best way possible. But now someone else is dumping new chemicals into our river every day?

Who? You! Well, many of us. Especially if your house is on the city or town sewer system.

What's being dumped? Pharmaceuticals and other chemicals that we use and then send down the drain - whether it is detergent from washing dishes, antibacterial soaps, fragrances, and dyes, or pharmaceuticals that we ingest that make their way through our bodies and come out in our urine. Our synthetic chemicals are getting into our rivers. And there are no regulations to stop most of this. In fact, most of these chemicals aren't even tested for!

There are some things you can do to lessen the problem. Do not flush left over medication. Until we have a better collection system, it is recommended that you wrap up the pills and put them in your trash. Don't take more than the recommended dose of a medication. If you take too much, even if it doesn't have adverse side effects, it most likely will just go through your system and go down the toilet. These sorts of chemicals are not removed at the waste water treatment facility, and they end up in our river.

Here is a WCVB (Channel 5, Boston) report on pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) largely due to wastewater discharged to surface waters: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/16028579/index.html

Keep in mind that many drinking water supplies are not threatened by this specific problem because they draw from reservoirs that are upstream of wastewater treatment plants. This is a good reason to protect the entire watershed around your reservoir or well head.

However, don't get comfortable! Here is another reference of scientists testing our agricultural fields and finding that these same PPCPs are getting into our food supply when "biosolids" (sludge from wastewater treatment plants) are used on our crop fields.

For more information regarding PPCPs from the US Geological Survey (USGS):

Statement of Robert M. Hirsch, USGS, April 15, 2008, before the Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security and Water Quality regarding pharmaceuticals in the environment: http://www.usgs.gov/aboutusgs/news_events/testimony.asp

Bibliography of USGS reports on contaminants of emerging concern:  http://toxics.usgs.gov/bib/bib-Emerging.html

Endocrine disruption found in fish exposed to municipal wastewater effluent: http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/wastewater_fish.html