Prescription Medication Finding A Way Into Groundwater From Aging Sewage Infrastructure

Medications are one of the most amazing feats of medicine. But they are meant to be taken at the right times, in the right doses, and by the right people. 

You wouldn’t want a child taking the neighbor's antidepressants. Or narcotics. Or a boy taking birth control pills. But when we drink tap water, we may be getting a nice mashup of all that. It can come from people flushing these drugs down the toilet and can also come from our own waste, as we pass these drugs out of our bodies.

In an investigation by the Associated Press, drinking water supplies in 24 major metropolitan areas were found to include drugs.

Due to the crumbling sewage infrastructure, these chemicals find their way into our groundwater. Currently, the EPA doesn’t require municipalities to test for drugs in our water, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

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By, Ryan Sinderbrand

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Resources: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0958211808701277#:~:text=The%20topic%20of%20pharmaceuticals%20in,major%20metropolitan%20areas%20serving%2041

https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=87742

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