![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/www.thebeatnews.org\/BeatTeam\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/salamanders-009-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>Spotted salamanders easily absorb chemicals through their skin.<\/p><\/div>\n
where they can find their way into groundwater or nearby waterways.\u00a0 Even if you use all of the product you purchase, much of the active chemicals in these products go right through your body unchanged and end up in the toilet to be flushed and sent on to the local wastewater treatment plant.\u00a0 Add to this all of the veterinary medicines, hormones, and antibiotics and we have an even bigger problem. Keep in mind that these chemicals are designed to change bodily processes.<\/p>\n
You might think that the wastewater treatment plant is the perfect place to send these products, but actually, wastewater treatment plants do not remove pharmaceuticals from the wastewater stream.\u00a0 They send them right out with the rest of their discharge, usually into a river.\u00a0 In a recent study by the U.S. Geologic Survey, 80% of the rivers tested and about 25% of the groundwater tested contained pharmaceuticals.\u00a0 Is this a problem?<\/p>\n
Remember that these are chemicals that are designed to change our physiology, and also remember that our basic physiological processes are the same as those of other living things.\u00a0 This means that every day we send biologically active drugs and medicines into our waterways and wetlands and, in effect, administer medicine to fish, frogs, turtles and other living things.\u00a0 Does this have an effect on aquatic wildlife?\u00a0 Of course it does.\u00a0 These chemicals were designed to have a biological effect.\u00a0 Of course these animals are getting a less concentrated dose, because the chemicals are diluted by the water in the river, but this is counterbalanced by the fact that aquatic animals sit in this toxic soup 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. \u00a0\u00a0Researchers have linked these pollutants to reproductive disorders in fish and amphibians.\u00a0 The problems include lower sperm counts and damaged sperm.\u00a0 Some male fish and frogs have become \u201cfeminized,\u201d meaning that they have developed both male and female reproductive structures.\u00a0 The scientific literature documenting these kinds of problems is growing quickly.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just aquatic wildlife that gets unintentional doses of medicine.\u00a0 In some communities, these drugs have found their way back into our drinking water supply.\u00a0 We are drinking each other\u2019s prescriptions, in trace amounts, but constantly, day in and day out.\u00a0 There is currently no federal requirement for testing drinking water supplies for pharmaceuticals.\u00a0 Distributors of bottled water are also not required to test for pharmaceuticals.\u00a0 An Associated Press investigation found that \u201cA vast array of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n
So what can we do?\u00a0 Researchers have found a simple technology that has been proving effective in breaking down pharmaceuticals.\u00a0 The effluent from wastewater treatment plants is sent into small wetlands that are constructed especially for the purpose.\u00a0 The microorganisms in these constructed wetlands biologically degrade a high percentage of the pharmaceuticals in the wastewater.\u00a0 This technology is already implemented in some communities.<\/p>\n
Another solution is to dispose of your medications properly.\u00a0 BEAT can help with this.\u00a0 On October 29, BEAT will be partnering with the Berkshire United Way, the Berkshire Attorney General\u2019s Office, Berkshire Health Systems, and a number of other groups in the RX Roundup.\u00a0 At a number of sites throughout the county, you will be able to turn in your unwanted prescription medications, over-the-counter remedies, and personal care products for safe disposal.\u00a0 Each site will be supervised by law enforcement officials.\u00a0 This is a great time to clean out your medicine cabinet.\u00a0 This not only helps the environment, but also helps to reduce the supply of prescription medications available illegally on the street and reduces the likelihood of drug-related accidents among small children.<\/p>\n
The date is October 29.\u00a0 You can check newspapers or BEAT\u2019s website for more specific information as the date approaches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Posted 2011 Pharmaceuticals on the whole can be\u00a0a wonderful thing.\u00a0 So many diseases and disorders that plagued earlier generations can be prevented or made less harmful and less uncomfortable by products of the drug industry.\u00a0 This is because pharmaceuticals are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17956","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry","no-media"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>