Prescription Drug Abusing Drinking Water
Prescription drugs in drinking water
ROSWELL, GA, September 18, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Across the country researchers are finding something in our drinking water which shouldn't be there without a prescription. According to and Associated Press investigation the drinking water of nearly 41 million Americans contains a disturbing array of pharmaceutical drugs, including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones.
The five-month study detected prescription drugs in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas - from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky. The municipal water authorities are insisting the water is safe, some of them suggesting the public "doesn't know how to interpret the information" and might panic.
The biggest source of pharmaceutical residue in the water is from human waste, but residents also send unused drugs down the drain and into rivers and streams. These drugs then are put back into the drinking water.
According to officials the best way to dispose of unused medications is to mix them with water and cat litter and throw them away. Many communities and groups are also sponsoring programs which collect prescription drugs for disposal. These programs have two main goals, first to combat prescription drug abuse by removing unused drugs from medicine cabinets and second to stop the drugs from entering our water supply.
In one part of the country the another problem caused by prescription drugs - drug addiction is being addressed with a program which tries to keep people off drugs and clean up drinking water.
Mary Rieser, the Director of Narconon of Georgia stated, "We used to look to the schools to provide drug education. Now, statistics show that the schools actually need our help. Obviously, with so many drugs passing hands at school, the kids are not learning the truth about prescription drug abuse and many of their parents are unwittingly contributing to it. 'Operation Medicine Cabinet' provides an outside source of help to schools, kids and parents. If this campaign is aggressively run in every major city we can make a huge dent on the prescription drug abuse problem. Too many kids are getting addicted and too many have died. It is time to do something about it."
source: Narconon of Georgia's website http://www.drugsno.com