Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Truth About Drugs in Our Drinking Water

By Kevin Scott

It was very unnerving to find out that eighty two different contaminates have been found in our surface waters. This was found due to the use of highly sensitive testing methods. Many different types of dangerous prescription medicines, and narcotics were found. They also found various pesticides and other hazardous substances commonly used in farming, gardening and weed control.

My frustration prompted me to perform a little more research regarding chemicals, hormones, pharmaceuticals, and other harmful chemicals that we may potentially be drinking and bathing in every day. The research found prompts us to strongly consider the absolute need for purifying the water we drink and use in our homes and well as consider the environmental impact of the chemicals and pharmaceuticals we use daily.

The documented research on the net points to the free-flowing of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, pesticides and other contaminates points to questions that we must answer. Questions such as, what environmental impacts will this have today and in the future?

Frogs have been found with too many legs and various other defects and strange abnormalities. Fish, amphibians, and plants that live in our waters are examples of the effect a polluted environment can have on the biological development of all life forms. It could be bad news for us because we drink and bathe in this water every day. We also consume the fish and plants that have absorbed these contaminates.

These chemicals and prescriptions have been around for many years and nothing has been found in the water until lately. Why is that? Until recently the equipment used to test the water was not sophisticated enough to detect these toxins. Researchers from Europe, water testing facilities in the United States, and university students were responsible for spreading the word about their findings.

The chemicals found in low levels include hormones, estrogens, birth control, antibiotics, mood stabilizers, calcium blockers, and a host of other pharmaceuticals, pain killers, and over the counter medications.

When we take medicine it doesn't all get absorbed by our bodies. Some is expelled as waste and is flushed down the toilet. Many of us also flush our unused pills down the drain and into the sewer system. Heavy metals have also been found in the water as well as DDT and arsenic just to name a few. More and more new poisons are being found every year.

The frustrating thing about it is that they can all be removed; however the water plants either don't want to do it or do not have the money to do so. Our sewer water is filtered and treated with chemicals to make it safe to drink. The drugs, pesticides and other contaminates remain, in addition to the chemicals used to treat it.

The water is then sent back to us to drink and use or put back into the environment where it ends up in wells or lakes and streams.

You can do something too protect yourself from these dangerous contaminates. You need to use other ways of disposing of unused medicines and get a system to filter these toxins out of the water you drink and use in your home.

You can find a system to filter your water that will take out most of the toxins in your water. You can get the ones to filter your whole water system or just put one on your faucet. You may even want to install one on every faucet in the house for maximum protection.

The water filtration systems recommended that remove the most contaminate include reverse osmosis, nano-filtration, activated carbon, and home distillation followed by membrane filters. However, to be effective, the filters on these must be installed properly and replaced according to the manufacturers directions. All too often the filters are installed improperly or used past their lifespan, which renders them ineffective.

If you want to know what is really in the water you're drinking, have it tested. Take it to a place that tests water, you can find out from your local health department where to take it. Having it tested will also show you how well your filter is working. - 15359

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