The U.S. Government tightly regulates the production and dispensing of prescription medications. However, these same medications are not regulated as contaminates in municipal water supplies. Pharmaceutical contamination has been found in water across the country and around the world, from rivers and streams to water from the tap.
Contamination of water by pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical like compounds has been found to be widespread. Between 1999 and 2000 an initial survey of trace contaminates was conducted by USGS scientists. Samples were taken from 139 waterways in 30 states suspected of possible contamination. 80% of samples taken had at least one or more of the 95 contaminates being tested for in the study.(Kolpin D.E.2002)
More recently the Associated Press conducted an investigation in which it was found that federal testing revealed such trace contaminates in drinking water in 24 out of 28 cities. The A.P. estimated that 46 million Americans are affected.(Assosiated Press,2008) These numbers are quite startling but even more shocking is the magnitude of pharmaceutical contamination outside the U.S. In Patancheru, India recent testing of treated wastewater show levels that are equivalent to that of clinical doses. Patancheru also is the home to approximately 90 pharmaceutical manufacturers who are suspected of contributing to the sever problem. Drugs such as ciprofloxin where found in the water along with 20 other pharmaceutical. One of the concerns scientists have is that if the entire population of an area receives and equivalent clinic dose or more of ciprofloxin and other antibiotics everyday, bacteria in the area could become resistant to such treatment and may be able to spread unchecked. A great deal of the drugs produced in the factors in Patancheru are shipped to the U.S.(Mason, M.2009)
The source of pharmaceutical contamination is not limited to polluting drug companies or unmetabolized medications excreted in human waste. It has been demonstrated that so called concentrated animal feeding operation(CAFO) are to blame for antibiotics and hormones in wastewater too. An example given in a Frontline documentary is the industrial producers of chicken contract to farmers to raise their animals, in many cases the company owns everything; the animals, feed, shelter and , property but many companies put the responsibility of disposing the animals waste to the farmers. These companies then are free any legal responsibility to dispose of said waste properly. This type of animal waste not only contains hormones and anti biotics but when it is released into waterways the nitrogen found in this animal waste promotes the growth of certain is types of algea. In some cases this algea growth removes the oxygen from the water creating huge "dead zones"completely void of life. There is a dead zone at the mouth of the Mississippi river that is estimated to be the size of Massechucetts.(Frontline,2009) Test have also shown that pharmaceutical contamination is not limited to the U.S. and developing nations. Pharmaceuticals have been found in locations in Asia, Europe, and Australia. as well.
The effects of this class of contaminates are more visible and dramatic in the wildlife that inhabit the affected areas. It is thought that as little as 1 ng/liter of hormones or hormone like compounds is enough to illicit a physiological response in fish. In many lakes and streams around the United States fish and other aquatic life have been found with both sex organs due to exposure.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife scientists have been examining the effects of pharmaceutical contamination on fish in Lake Mead and the Colorado River. They have found that several endangered fish as well as non endangered fish have felt the effects, such contamination is being blamed for dramatic reproductive problems. In the cases of the Razorback Sucker and the Male Fathead Minnow, both endangered, have been found with damaged sperm or low sperm count. Males of other fish species have been feminized, so called feminization occurs when male fish produce yolk protein normally only produced by female fish. At this point it is appropriate to mention that along with dumping treated waste water into Lake Mead Las Vegas also draws water from the lake for municipal use as potable water. In other instances the ratio male to female fish has been found to be abnormal. in yet other instances female fish have been found with male genitalia.
And it is not just what goes down our drain many types of industrial waste has been found to disrupt the endocrine system, so called endocrine disruptor are compounds that are similar to natural hormones that humans and animals use for all types of vital physiological functions, reproduction being among these.(Arnold, Robert G.2002)
These type of chemicals can block certain receptors, rendering them useless to respond to stimulation in a normal way. Hormones are the messengers of the body and if these messengers can't function it becomes very hard for the body to function in a normal way. When an embryo is developing in the womb, for example, is the release of certain hormones at certain critical times that causes the embryo to develop in specific ways. One could imagine the havoc that these endocrine disruptor could play on an embryos development, in the case of aquatic life the eggs of fish and amphibians are developing directly in the contaminated water.
The effects are not just limited to fish. A wide variety of life have felt the effects including vultures who eat contaminated animals, toxins build to high levels and the animal dies of kidney failure, mussels and algae have felt the effects too.
In boulder Creek, Colorado 50 out of 60 white suckers caught down stream of a waste treatment plant were female while up stream the ratio was approximately 50/50.
Bull Sharks nursing in Florida's Caloosahatchee River were tested with the first 9 out of 10 sharks tested showing positive for pharmaceutical presents in blood and liver samples. According to an environmental contaminates specialist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, results are similar almost everywhere you look.
While you can surmise the ramifications that this may have, the exact effects are largely unknown in humans or the synergistic effects of a large variety of these chemicals may have in the presents of one another. Few studies have examined this issue. One study that I found while doing my research examined the possible connection of the high rate of breast cancer in Cape Cod residents to contaminated drinking water, the study could demonstrate no such connection. While another study did get preliminary positive reactions. This study was performed by Francesco Pomati at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Pomati exposed a human kidney tissue to the same types of pharmaceuticals found in Italian water at similarly small dose. In some cases the kidney growth slowed by up to one third, showing that these drugs in tiny doses and in the presents of one another illicit a physiological response in human tissue. Another interesting finding of Pomati's work seems to indicate that some drugs have an effect at low doses that is not seen at higher doses. It is important to mention that these results are preliminary and are not necissarily representative of tissue responses in the human body.
One fact that is concerning is that some of the higher concentrations of estrogen found by the USGS survey were around 2mcg/liter, when compared to the clinic dose of estrogen for contraceptive purposes at 25-35mcg/day it becomes more clear what type of threat such contamination poses. So if a person consumes 2 liters of water a day they are getting nearly 20% of the minimum clinical dose(Arnold, Robert G.2002) This is of coarse an adult dose, it is disturbing to think of a child getting 20% of this dose.
All of the information cited above leads one to ask the obvious question; what action is being taken to ensure the safety of drinking water supplies and public health? According to the Associated Press' investigation The EPA does not require testing of potable water supplies for pharmaceutical contamination, nor have they established minimum safe levels. In this investigation 52 providers of city water where contacted, one in each state and 2 in Texas and 2 in Missouri and none test for such contaminates. When such testing is performed the result generally are not shared with the public.(Assosiated Press,2008)
One technique that has show success in removing pharmaceuticals from waste water is called reverse osmosis. This is being used in a sate of the art facility in Southern California. Although this method has been show to be affective it has many drawbacks. It is very expensive to build and operate, and for every gallon of usable water it produces 3 gallons of unusable sludge water. The additional water use The EPA has set no standard for minimum safe levels of pharmaceutical contamination in municipal water supplies: While the EPA acknowledges this problem exists it has yet to act, citing lack of conclusive evidence of effects to human health. The EPA has however started to encourage proper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals and has set up disposal sites for such leftover drugs in several states for Earth Day. The Federal Government has set some preliminary guideline for home disposal of unused pharmaceuticals. Some of these guidelines include; 1)keeping medications in the original containers for identification purposes. 2)Removing the name of the recipient of the prescription. 3)In the case of solid medication a small amount of water should be added to partially dissolve tablets, in the case of liquid medications an amount of salt or flour should be added.(these measures are to discourage use after disposal) 4)The container should then be wrapped in bubble wrap or some type of padding and placed in a secondary container to prevent the container from rupturing in a municipal landfill. The EPA has also purposed designating pharmaceuticals as universal waste. Items also included may be more damaging to the environment than the pharmaceutical contamination, according to some scientists.(Associated Press) In this special designation are batteries, lamps(light bulbs)mercury containing items and other household hazardous waste. This purposed rule would encourage the generators of such waste i.e. medical and veterinary facilities to collect unused drugs for proper disposal.
Other water treatment methods are mostly to wholly ineffective at removing such contaminates and in some cases may be doing more harm than good, that is as far as drug contamination is concerned. For example chlorination, acetaminophen in the presence of chlorine forms two know toxic chemicals. In the case of other drugs the effect of chlorine is unknown.(Associated Press)
The magnitude of this issue is incredibly daunting. However, if we use a multilateral approach to addressing this problem it can be resolved or at leased greatly diminished. If we first are cognisant of our own actions and second encourage water providers, providers of pharmaceuticals and government agencies to take a more aggressive stance toward keeping such chemicals out of the environment a great amount of this issue would be resolved. Public thought is already moving in that direction with state and local governments taking the lead and the federal government following behind. The only question that remains is one of time, will such changes take place before the damage done makes recovery impossible.
Bibliography:
Environmental Science & Technology: Kolpin, D.E., Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000: A national reconnaissance, v. 36, no. 6, p. 1202-1211, 2002 (see http://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-027-02/index.html).
Arnold, Robert G. "Pharmaceuticals without a Prescription." Journal of Environmental Engineering Oct. 2002: 907. Military & Government Collection. EBSCO. Web. 12 Nov. 2009.
Burkholder, JoAnn, et al. "Impacts of Waste from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations on Water Quality." Environmental Health Perspectives 115.2 (2007): 308-312. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
"Poisoned Waters." Dir. Rick Young. Frontline. PBS. WGBH, Boston,
21 Apr. 2009. Television.
Margie Mason. "THE WORLD; 'Ecological sacrifice zone' in India; Water in a town with pharmaceutical plants that supply the U.S. is tainted with antibiotics and other strong drugs. " Los Angeles Times 8 Feb. 2009,Los Angeles Times, ProQuest. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
Brody, Julia Green, et al. "Breast cancer risk and drinking water contaminated by wastewater: a case control study." Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source 5.(2006): 28. MEDLINE. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2009
Leonnig, Carol D. "Area Tap Water Has Traces of Medicines." The Washington Post. 10 Mar. 2008: B1.retrieved from the web on 11/21/2009 at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/09/ST2008030901877.html
http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/pharmawater_site/
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
First Draft Research Paper
The U.S. Government tightly regulates the production and dispensing of prescription medications. However, these same medications are not regulated as contaminates in municipal water supplies. Pharmaceutical contamination has been found in water across the country and around the world, from rivers and streams to water from the tap.
Contamination of water by pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical like compounds has been found to be widespread. Between 1999 and 2000 an initial survey of trace contaminates was conducted by USGS scientists. Samples were taken from 139 waterways in 30 states suspected of possible contamination. 80% of samples taken had at least one or more of the 95 contaminates being tested for in the study.(Kolpin D.E.2002)
More recently the Associated Press conducted an investigation in which it was found that federal testing revealed such trace contaminates in drinking water in 24 out of 28 cities. The A.P. estimated that 46 million Americans are affected.(Assosiated Press,2008) These numbers are quite startling but even more shocking is the magnitude of pharmaceutical contamination outside the U.S. In Patancheru, India recent testing of treated wastewater show levels that are equivalent to that of clinical doses. Patancheru also is the home to approximately 90 pharmaceutical manufacturers who are suspected of contributing to the sever problem. Drugs such as ciprofloxin where found in the water along with 20 other pharmaceutical. One of the concerns scientists have is that if the entire population of an area receives and equivalent clinic dose or more of ciprofloxin and other antibiotics everyday, bacteria in the area could become resistant to such treatment and may be able to spread unchecked. A great deal of the drugs produced in the factors in Patancheru are shipped to the U.S.(Mason, M.2009)
The source of pharmaceutical contamination is not limited to polluting drug companies or unmetabolized medications excreted in human waste. It has been demonstrated that so called concentrated animal feeding operation(CAFO) are to blame for antibiotics and hormones in wastewater too. An example given in a Frontline documentary is the industrial producers of chicken contract to farmers to raise their animals, in many cases the company owns everything; the animals, feed, shelter and , property but many companies put the responsibility of disposing the animals waste to the farmers. These companies then are free any legal responsibility to dispose of said waste properly. This type of animal waste not only contains hormones and anti biotics but when it is released into waterways the nitrogen found in this animal waste promotes the growth of certain is types of algea. In some cases this algea growth removes the oxygen from the water creating huge "dead zones"completely void of life. There is a dead zone at the mouth of the Mississippi river that is estimated to be the size of Massechucetts.(Frontline,2009) Test have also shown that pharmaceutical contamination is not limited to the U.S. and developing nations. Pharmaceuticals have been found in locations in Asia, Europe, and Australia. as well.
The effects of this class of contaminates are more visible and dramatic in the wildlife that inhabit the affected areas. It is thought that as little as 1 ng/liter of hormones or hormone like compounds is enough to illicit a physiological response in fish. In many lakes and streams around the United States fish and other aquatic life have been found with both sex organs due to exposure. And it is not just what goes down our drain many types of industrial waste has been found to disrupt the endocrine system, so called endocrine disruptor are compounds that are similar to natural hormones that humans and animals use for all types of vital physiological functions, reproduction being among these.(Arnold, Robert G.2002)
These type of chemicals can block certain receptors, rendering them useless to respond to stimulation in a normal way. Hormones are the messengers of the body and if these messengers can't function it becomes very hard for the body to function in a normal way. When an embryo is developing in the womb, for example, is the release of certain hormones at certain critical times that causes the embryo to develop in specific ways. One could imagine the havoc that these endocrine disruptor could play on an embryos development, in the case of aquatic life the eggs of fish and amphibians are developing directly in the contaminated water.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife scientists have been examining the effects of pharmaceutical contamination on fish in Lake Mead and the Colorado River. They have found that several endangered fish as well as non endangered fish have felt the effects, such contamination is being blamed for dramatic reproductive problems. In the cases of the Razorback Sucker and the Male Fathead Minnow, both endangered, have been found with damaged sperm or low sperm count. Males of other fish species have been feminized, so called feminization occurs when male fish produce yolk protein normally only produced by female fish. At this point it is appropriate to mention that along with dumping treated waste water into Lake Mead Las Vegas also draws water from the lake for municipal use as potable water. In other instances the ratio male to female fish has been found to be abnormal. in yet other instances female fish have been found with male genitalia.
The effects are not just limited to fish. A wide variety of life have felt the effects including vultures who eat contaminated animals, toxins build to high levels and the animal dies of kidney failure, mussels and algae have felt the effects too.
In boulder Creek, Colorado 50 out of 60 white suckers caught down stream of a waste treatment plant were female while up stream the ratio was approximately 50/50.
Bull Sharks nursing in Florida's Caloosahatchee River were tested with the first 9 out of 10 sharks tested showing positive for pharmaceutical presents in blood and liver samples. According to an environmental contaminates specialist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, results are similar almost everywhere you look.
While you can surmise the ramifications that this may have, the exact effects are largely unknown in humans or the synergistic effects of a large variety of these chemicals may have in the presents of one another. Few studies have examined this issue. One study that I found while doing my research examined the possible connection of the high rate of breast cancer in Cape Cod residents to contaminated drinking water, the study could demonstrate no such connection. While another study did get preliminary positive reactions. This study was performed by Francesco Pomati at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Pomati exposed a human kidney tissue to the same types of pharmaceuticals found in Italian water at similarly small dose. In some cases the kidney growth slowed by up to one third, showing that these drugs in tiny doses and in the presents of one another illicit a physiological response in human tissue. Another interesting finding of Pomati's work seems to indicate that some drugs have an effect at low doses that is not seen at higher doses. It is important to mention that these results are preliminary and are not necissarily representative of tissue responses in the human body.
One fact that is concerning is that some of the higher concentrations of estrogen found by the USGS survey were around 2mcg/liter, when compared to the clinic dose of estrogen for contraceptive purposes at 25-35mcg/day it becomes more clear what type of threat such contamination poses. So if a person consumes 2 liters of water a day they are getting nearly 20% of the minimum clinical dose(Arnold, Robert G.2002) This is of coarse an adult dose, it is disturbing to think of a child getting 20% of this dose.
All of the information cited above leads one to ask the obvious question; what action is being taken to ensure the safety of drinking water supplies and public health?
According to the Associated Press' investigation The EPA does not require testing of potable water supplies for pharmaceutical contamination, nor have they established minimum safe levels. In this investigation 52 providers of city water where contacted, one in each state and 2 in Texas and 2 in Missouri and none test for such contaminates. When such testing is performed the result generally are not shared with the public.(Assosiated Press,2008)
in this special designation are batteries, lamps(light bulbs)mercury containing items and other household hazardous waste. This purposed rule would encourage the generators of such waste i.e. medical and veterinary facilities to collect unused drugs for proper disposal.
One technique that has show success in removing pharmaceuticals from waste water is called reverse osmosis. This is being used in a sate of the art facility in Southern California. Although this method has been show to be affective it has many drawbacks. It is very expensive to build and operate, and for every gallon of usable water it produces 3 gallons of unusable sludge water. The additional water use The EPA has set no standard for minimum safe levels of pharmaceutical contamination in municipal water supplies: While the EPA acknowledges this problem exists it has yet to act, citing lack of conclusive evidence of effects to human health. The EPA has however started to encourage proper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals and has set up disposal sites for such leftover drugs in several states for Earth Day. The Federal Government has set some preliminary guideline for home disposal of unused pharmaceuticals. Some of these guidelines include; 1)keeping medications in the original containers for identification purposes. 2)Removing the name of the recipient of the prescription. 3)In the case of solid medication a small amount of water should be added to partially dissolve tablets, in the case of liquid medications an amount of salt or flour should be added.(these measures are to discourage use after disposal) 4)The container should then be wrapped in bubble wrap or some type of padding and placed in a secondary container to prevent the container from rupturing in a municipal landfill. The EPA has also purposed designating pharmaceuticals as universal waste. Items also included may be more damaging to the environment than the pharmaceutical contamination, according to some scientists.(Associated Press)
Other water treatment methods are mostly to wholly ineffective at removing such contaminates and in some cases may be doing more harm than good, that is as far as drug contamination is concerned. For example chlorination, acetaminophen in the presence of chlorine forms two know toxic chemicals. In the case of other drugs the effect of chlorine is unknown.(Associated Press)
The magnitude of this issue is incredibly daunting. However, if we use a multilateral approach to addressing this problem it can be resolved or at leased greatly diminished. If we first are cognisant of our own actions and second encourage water providers, providers of pharmaceuticals and government agencies to take a more aggressive stance toward keeping such chemicals out of the environment a great amount of this issue would be resolved. Public thought is already moving in that direction with state and local governments taking the lead and the federal government following behind. The only question that remains is one of time, will such changes take place before the damage done makes recovery impossible.
Bibliography:
Environmental Science & Technology: Kolpin, D.E., Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000: A national reconnaissance, v. 36, no. 6, p. 1202-1211, 2002 (see http://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-027-02/index.html).
Arnold, Robert G. "Pharmaceuticals without a Prescription." Journal of Environmental Engineering Oct. 2002: 907. Military & Government Collection. EBSCO. Web. 12 Nov. 2009.
Burkholder, JoAnn, et al. "Impacts of Waste from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations on Water Quality." Environmental Health Perspectives 115.2 (2007): 308-312. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
"Poisoned Waters." Dir. Rick Young. Frontline. PBS. WGBH, Boston,
21 Apr. 2009. Television.
Margie Mason. "THE WORLD; 'Ecological sacrifice zone' in India; Water in a town with pharmaceutical plants that supply the U.S. is tainted with antibiotics and other strong drugs. " Los Angeles Times 8 Feb. 2009,Los Angeles Times, ProQuest. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
Brody, Julia Green, et al. "Breast cancer risk and drinking water contaminated by wastewater: a case control study." Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source 5.(2006): 28. MEDLINE. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2009
Leonnig, Carol D. "Area Tap Water Has Traces of Medicines." The Washington Post. 10 Mar. 2008: B1.retrieved from the web on 11/21/2009 at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/09/ST2008030901877.html
http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/pharmawater_site/
Contamination of water by pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical like compounds has been found to be widespread. Between 1999 and 2000 an initial survey of trace contaminates was conducted by USGS scientists. Samples were taken from 139 waterways in 30 states suspected of possible contamination. 80% of samples taken had at least one or more of the 95 contaminates being tested for in the study.(Kolpin D.E.2002)
More recently the Associated Press conducted an investigation in which it was found that federal testing revealed such trace contaminates in drinking water in 24 out of 28 cities. The A.P. estimated that 46 million Americans are affected.(Assosiated Press,2008) These numbers are quite startling but even more shocking is the magnitude of pharmaceutical contamination outside the U.S. In Patancheru, India recent testing of treated wastewater show levels that are equivalent to that of clinical doses. Patancheru also is the home to approximately 90 pharmaceutical manufacturers who are suspected of contributing to the sever problem. Drugs such as ciprofloxin where found in the water along with 20 other pharmaceutical. One of the concerns scientists have is that if the entire population of an area receives and equivalent clinic dose or more of ciprofloxin and other antibiotics everyday, bacteria in the area could become resistant to such treatment and may be able to spread unchecked. A great deal of the drugs produced in the factors in Patancheru are shipped to the U.S.(Mason, M.2009)
The source of pharmaceutical contamination is not limited to polluting drug companies or unmetabolized medications excreted in human waste. It has been demonstrated that so called concentrated animal feeding operation(CAFO) are to blame for antibiotics and hormones in wastewater too. An example given in a Frontline documentary is the industrial producers of chicken contract to farmers to raise their animals, in many cases the company owns everything; the animals, feed, shelter and , property but many companies put the responsibility of disposing the animals waste to the farmers. These companies then are free any legal responsibility to dispose of said waste properly. This type of animal waste not only contains hormones and anti biotics but when it is released into waterways the nitrogen found in this animal waste promotes the growth of certain is types of algea. In some cases this algea growth removes the oxygen from the water creating huge "dead zones"completely void of life. There is a dead zone at the mouth of the Mississippi river that is estimated to be the size of Massechucetts.(Frontline,2009) Test have also shown that pharmaceutical contamination is not limited to the U.S. and developing nations. Pharmaceuticals have been found in locations in Asia, Europe, and Australia. as well.
The effects of this class of contaminates are more visible and dramatic in the wildlife that inhabit the affected areas. It is thought that as little as 1 ng/liter of hormones or hormone like compounds is enough to illicit a physiological response in fish. In many lakes and streams around the United States fish and other aquatic life have been found with both sex organs due to exposure. And it is not just what goes down our drain many types of industrial waste has been found to disrupt the endocrine system, so called endocrine disruptor are compounds that are similar to natural hormones that humans and animals use for all types of vital physiological functions, reproduction being among these.(Arnold, Robert G.2002)
These type of chemicals can block certain receptors, rendering them useless to respond to stimulation in a normal way. Hormones are the messengers of the body and if these messengers can't function it becomes very hard for the body to function in a normal way. When an embryo is developing in the womb, for example, is the release of certain hormones at certain critical times that causes the embryo to develop in specific ways. One could imagine the havoc that these endocrine disruptor could play on an embryos development, in the case of aquatic life the eggs of fish and amphibians are developing directly in the contaminated water.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife scientists have been examining the effects of pharmaceutical contamination on fish in Lake Mead and the Colorado River. They have found that several endangered fish as well as non endangered fish have felt the effects, such contamination is being blamed for dramatic reproductive problems. In the cases of the Razorback Sucker and the Male Fathead Minnow, both endangered, have been found with damaged sperm or low sperm count. Males of other fish species have been feminized, so called feminization occurs when male fish produce yolk protein normally only produced by female fish. At this point it is appropriate to mention that along with dumping treated waste water into Lake Mead Las Vegas also draws water from the lake for municipal use as potable water. In other instances the ratio male to female fish has been found to be abnormal. in yet other instances female fish have been found with male genitalia.
The effects are not just limited to fish. A wide variety of life have felt the effects including vultures who eat contaminated animals, toxins build to high levels and the animal dies of kidney failure, mussels and algae have felt the effects too.
In boulder Creek, Colorado 50 out of 60 white suckers caught down stream of a waste treatment plant were female while up stream the ratio was approximately 50/50.
Bull Sharks nursing in Florida's Caloosahatchee River were tested with the first 9 out of 10 sharks tested showing positive for pharmaceutical presents in blood and liver samples. According to an environmental contaminates specialist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, results are similar almost everywhere you look.
While you can surmise the ramifications that this may have, the exact effects are largely unknown in humans or the synergistic effects of a large variety of these chemicals may have in the presents of one another. Few studies have examined this issue. One study that I found while doing my research examined the possible connection of the high rate of breast cancer in Cape Cod residents to contaminated drinking water, the study could demonstrate no such connection. While another study did get preliminary positive reactions. This study was performed by Francesco Pomati at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Pomati exposed a human kidney tissue to the same types of pharmaceuticals found in Italian water at similarly small dose. In some cases the kidney growth slowed by up to one third, showing that these drugs in tiny doses and in the presents of one another illicit a physiological response in human tissue. Another interesting finding of Pomati's work seems to indicate that some drugs have an effect at low doses that is not seen at higher doses. It is important to mention that these results are preliminary and are not necissarily representative of tissue responses in the human body.
One fact that is concerning is that some of the higher concentrations of estrogen found by the USGS survey were around 2mcg/liter, when compared to the clinic dose of estrogen for contraceptive purposes at 25-35mcg/day it becomes more clear what type of threat such contamination poses. So if a person consumes 2 liters of water a day they are getting nearly 20% of the minimum clinical dose(Arnold, Robert G.2002) This is of coarse an adult dose, it is disturbing to think of a child getting 20% of this dose.
All of the information cited above leads one to ask the obvious question; what action is being taken to ensure the safety of drinking water supplies and public health?
According to the Associated Press' investigation The EPA does not require testing of potable water supplies for pharmaceutical contamination, nor have they established minimum safe levels. In this investigation 52 providers of city water where contacted, one in each state and 2 in Texas and 2 in Missouri and none test for such contaminates. When such testing is performed the result generally are not shared with the public.(Assosiated Press,2008)
in this special designation are batteries, lamps(light bulbs)mercury containing items and other household hazardous waste. This purposed rule would encourage the generators of such waste i.e. medical and veterinary facilities to collect unused drugs for proper disposal.
One technique that has show success in removing pharmaceuticals from waste water is called reverse osmosis. This is being used in a sate of the art facility in Southern California. Although this method has been show to be affective it has many drawbacks. It is very expensive to build and operate, and for every gallon of usable water it produces 3 gallons of unusable sludge water. The additional water use The EPA has set no standard for minimum safe levels of pharmaceutical contamination in municipal water supplies: While the EPA acknowledges this problem exists it has yet to act, citing lack of conclusive evidence of effects to human health. The EPA has however started to encourage proper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals and has set up disposal sites for such leftover drugs in several states for Earth Day. The Federal Government has set some preliminary guideline for home disposal of unused pharmaceuticals. Some of these guidelines include; 1)keeping medications in the original containers for identification purposes. 2)Removing the name of the recipient of the prescription. 3)In the case of solid medication a small amount of water should be added to partially dissolve tablets, in the case of liquid medications an amount of salt or flour should be added.(these measures are to discourage use after disposal) 4)The container should then be wrapped in bubble wrap or some type of padding and placed in a secondary container to prevent the container from rupturing in a municipal landfill. The EPA has also purposed designating pharmaceuticals as universal waste. Items also included may be more damaging to the environment than the pharmaceutical contamination, according to some scientists.(Associated Press)
Other water treatment methods are mostly to wholly ineffective at removing such contaminates and in some cases may be doing more harm than good, that is as far as drug contamination is concerned. For example chlorination, acetaminophen in the presence of chlorine forms two know toxic chemicals. In the case of other drugs the effect of chlorine is unknown.(Associated Press)
The magnitude of this issue is incredibly daunting. However, if we use a multilateral approach to addressing this problem it can be resolved or at leased greatly diminished. If we first are cognisant of our own actions and second encourage water providers, providers of pharmaceuticals and government agencies to take a more aggressive stance toward keeping such chemicals out of the environment a great amount of this issue would be resolved. Public thought is already moving in that direction with state and local governments taking the lead and the federal government following behind. The only question that remains is one of time, will such changes take place before the damage done makes recovery impossible.
Bibliography:
Environmental Science & Technology: Kolpin, D.E., Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000: A national reconnaissance, v. 36, no. 6, p. 1202-1211, 2002 (see http://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-027-02/index.html).
Arnold, Robert G. "Pharmaceuticals without a Prescription." Journal of Environmental Engineering Oct. 2002: 907. Military & Government Collection. EBSCO. Web. 12 Nov. 2009.
Burkholder, JoAnn, et al. "Impacts of Waste from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations on Water Quality." Environmental Health Perspectives 115.2 (2007): 308-312. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
"Poisoned Waters." Dir. Rick Young. Frontline. PBS. WGBH, Boston,
21 Apr. 2009. Television.
Margie Mason. "THE WORLD; 'Ecological sacrifice zone' in India; Water in a town with pharmaceutical plants that supply the U.S. is tainted with antibiotics and other strong drugs. " Los Angeles Times 8 Feb. 2009,Los Angeles Times, ProQuest. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
Brody, Julia Green, et al. "Breast cancer risk and drinking water contaminated by wastewater: a case control study." Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source 5.(2006): 28. MEDLINE. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2009
Leonnig, Carol D. "Area Tap Water Has Traces of Medicines." The Washington Post. 10 Mar. 2008: B1.retrieved from the web on 11/21/2009 at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/09/ST2008030901877.html
http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/pharmawater_site/
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Paper Outline
The Problem of Pharmaceutical Contamination is Widespread.
- Between 1999 and 2000 A USGS survey tested 139 waterways suspected of being contaminated. Most all of the waterways tested had at least 1 of the 95 contaminates being tested for.
- In a federal study of city drinking water. 24 out of 28 municipal water supplies had these types of contaminates present.
- According to a L.A. Times article waterways around pharmaceutical manufacturers in India are so heavily contaminated that drinking water out of the river is as good as taking Cipro tablets.
The effects of pharmaceutical contamination have been found in wildlife but health risks posed to humans are yet to be determined.
-It has be determined by the USGS that fish are seriously affected by minute amounts of hormones found in rivers and streams, such as fish and amphibians found with both sex organs.
- The has been no conclusive evidence of the effects of such contaminates on human health
- A study investigated the possible connection of high rates of breast cancer on Cape Cod with contaminated water, the study concluded that no connection was observed.
The EPA has set no standards for these types of contaminates.
- According to the AP investigation there has been no min. safe level established.
- The great majority of water treatment plants do not test for pharmaceutical contaminates nor is the technology in place to remove such contaminates if they were detected.
- Between 1999 and 2000 A USGS survey tested 139 waterways suspected of being contaminated. Most all of the waterways tested had at least 1 of the 95 contaminates being tested for.
- In a federal study of city drinking water. 24 out of 28 municipal water supplies had these types of contaminates present.
- According to a L.A. Times article waterways around pharmaceutical manufacturers in India are so heavily contaminated that drinking water out of the river is as good as taking Cipro tablets.
The effects of pharmaceutical contamination have been found in wildlife but health risks posed to humans are yet to be determined.
-It has be determined by the USGS that fish are seriously affected by minute amounts of hormones found in rivers and streams, such as fish and amphibians found with both sex organs.
- The has been no conclusive evidence of the effects of such contaminates on human health
- A study investigated the possible connection of high rates of breast cancer on Cape Cod with contaminated water, the study concluded that no connection was observed.
The EPA has set no standards for these types of contaminates.
- According to the AP investigation there has been no min. safe level established.
- The great majority of water treatment plants do not test for pharmaceutical contaminates nor is the technology in place to remove such contaminates if they were detected.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Student Choice #4, Multiple Perspective Free Write, and Introductions
Student Choice #4
http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/pharmawater_site/
This web site give a full description of a 5 month long Associated Press investigation into pharmaceutical contamination in treated drinking water. The question asked by the contributing writers was; Are treated drinking water sources contaminated with pharmaceuticals, if so how widespread is the contamination, and what are the health risks posed to humans. The evidence presented was quite startling, the AP conducted testing across the U.S. and found that many metropolitan area tap water had low levels of pharmaceutical contamination. This contamination affected approximately 40 million people. This investigation consisted of many articles which were written for a general public audience. The conclusion was that the EPA has no standards set for minimum safe levels of such contaminates nor is there any requirement to test for such compounds. Such standards and testing requirements need to be mandated by the Federal Government.
I believe, after having reviewed many articles on the subject, that the assertions to be accurate. I also believe that the large amount of evidence collected in this investigation to be convincing and useful. However, due to the number of articles, writers and information collected I am not certain what I will end up using, so I have given the web site where the information is made available and I will cite the specific author and articles used in my final paper.
Multiple Perspective Free Write
Perspective #1: A resident using public water supplies contaminated with pharmaceuticals.
I am very concerned for my personal health and the health of my family. A family has no alternative but to use municipal water supplies. We could buy bottled water but even that I heard is not safe from these type of contaminates. How can I feel good about letting my child bath in water that could have drugs in it, especially if the effects on human health are not known.
Perspective #2: Persons in charge of ensuring safe drinking water on a local level
It is difficult to feel like you are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the water when the proper resources are not at your disposal. Technology to test for such trace amount of pharmaceuticals and other similar compounds was only developed
10 or so years ago by the USGS. It is somewhat difficult to do but not nearly as difficult as it is to remove such contaminates once you have determined their presents. Nationwide almost no municipal water treatment plant has the technology to remove such contaminates. I feel the only way things are going to change is if the public starts to put pressure on Federal, State, and local officials to take action.
Perspective #3: Federal EPA Regulator
We are now looking very closely at these emergent contaminates. We are investigating aspects such as risk to human health and risks to wildlife. It is still not known what the effect on human health may be or what synergistic effects the contaminates may have on one another. Given that, it becomes difficult to set national standards.
Cities and Towns across the country are facing budgetary shortfalls this year, if we set a standard prematurely local governments most likely will not be able to abide by such standards due to monetary constraints. We must proceed slowly and deliberately to make sure we get it right.
Introductions
Into #1
Are you tired of pay for birth control for yourself or your partner? Well no need to worry just drink water from your tap. That may sound absolutely ridiculous but in some parts of the country it is not far from the truth.
Intro #2
The first national reconnaissance for contamination of trace amounts of pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical like compounds was performed by USGS scientists in 1999-2000. !39 waterways were tested and most had at least 1 of the 90 chemicals being tested for present. Since then numerous other studies have been completed in many location nationwide and around the world with startling result. An Associated press investigation lasting over 5 months revealed that these types of contaminates are present in various levels in the drinking water of approximately 44 million Americans.
Intro #3
It is illegal and dangerous to take some medications without a prescription but these same drugs are found in drinking water in many parts of the country. The EPA has failed to established any regulation or guidelines in this matter at all. They do not know what health risks these trace contaminates pose or what levels are safe and which may be hazardous.
http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/pharmawater_site/
This web site give a full description of a 5 month long Associated Press investigation into pharmaceutical contamination in treated drinking water. The question asked by the contributing writers was; Are treated drinking water sources contaminated with pharmaceuticals, if so how widespread is the contamination, and what are the health risks posed to humans. The evidence presented was quite startling, the AP conducted testing across the U.S. and found that many metropolitan area tap water had low levels of pharmaceutical contamination. This contamination affected approximately 40 million people. This investigation consisted of many articles which were written for a general public audience. The conclusion was that the EPA has no standards set for minimum safe levels of such contaminates nor is there any requirement to test for such compounds. Such standards and testing requirements need to be mandated by the Federal Government.
I believe, after having reviewed many articles on the subject, that the assertions to be accurate. I also believe that the large amount of evidence collected in this investigation to be convincing and useful. However, due to the number of articles, writers and information collected I am not certain what I will end up using, so I have given the web site where the information is made available and I will cite the specific author and articles used in my final paper.
Multiple Perspective Free Write
Perspective #1: A resident using public water supplies contaminated with pharmaceuticals.
I am very concerned for my personal health and the health of my family. A family has no alternative but to use municipal water supplies. We could buy bottled water but even that I heard is not safe from these type of contaminates. How can I feel good about letting my child bath in water that could have drugs in it, especially if the effects on human health are not known.
Perspective #2: Persons in charge of ensuring safe drinking water on a local level
It is difficult to feel like you are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the water when the proper resources are not at your disposal. Technology to test for such trace amount of pharmaceuticals and other similar compounds was only developed
10 or so years ago by the USGS. It is somewhat difficult to do but not nearly as difficult as it is to remove such contaminates once you have determined their presents. Nationwide almost no municipal water treatment plant has the technology to remove such contaminates. I feel the only way things are going to change is if the public starts to put pressure on Federal, State, and local officials to take action.
Perspective #3: Federal EPA Regulator
We are now looking very closely at these emergent contaminates. We are investigating aspects such as risk to human health and risks to wildlife. It is still not known what the effect on human health may be or what synergistic effects the contaminates may have on one another. Given that, it becomes difficult to set national standards.
Cities and Towns across the country are facing budgetary shortfalls this year, if we set a standard prematurely local governments most likely will not be able to abide by such standards due to monetary constraints. We must proceed slowly and deliberately to make sure we get it right.
Introductions
Into #1
Are you tired of pay for birth control for yourself or your partner? Well no need to worry just drink water from your tap. That may sound absolutely ridiculous but in some parts of the country it is not far from the truth.
Intro #2
The first national reconnaissance for contamination of trace amounts of pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical like compounds was performed by USGS scientists in 1999-2000. !39 waterways were tested and most had at least 1 of the 90 chemicals being tested for present. Since then numerous other studies have been completed in many location nationwide and around the world with startling result. An Associated press investigation lasting over 5 months revealed that these types of contaminates are present in various levels in the drinking water of approximately 44 million Americans.
Intro #3
It is illegal and dangerous to take some medications without a prescription but these same drugs are found in drinking water in many parts of the country. The EPA has failed to established any regulation or guidelines in this matter at all. They do not know what health risks these trace contaminates pose or what levels are safe and which may be hazardous.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Annotated Bibliography #5 and Student Choice #3
Annotated Bibliography #5
Brody, Julia Green, et al. "Breast cancer risk and drinking water contaminated by wastewater: a case control study." Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source 5.(2006): 28. MEDLINE. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2009
The question posed in this study was; is there a correlation between the high rate of breast cancer in Cape Cod and exposure to contaminated drinking water?
The evidence cited in this study were the cases of approximately 800 residence of Cape Cod that had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The study identified a marker compound, Nitrate-N, that is present in contaminated waste water. The participant were then tested for this marker compound. The audience for this study would be professionals involved in environmental and health sciences. The conclusion of this study was that there was no evidence found of a connection between an elevated rate of breast cancer and exposure to contaminated water supplies.
I believe the assertion was accurate. The authors of the study were careful in not saying there is no connection but there was no evidence found of such a connection. The evidence was convincing, the sample group was large and many aspect were examined in order to make the study as accurate as possible. I am not in the audience. The study was helpful, this was the first study that I have found that investigates this particular question of the effects of emerging contaminates on human health. I am not certain if I will us this study in my final Paper.
Student Choice #3
Leonnig, Carol D. "Area Tap Water Has Traces of Medicines." The Washington Post. 10 Mar. 2008: B1.retrieved from the web on 11/21/2009 at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/09/ST2008030901877.html
The question posed by this article is; does the recent discovery of certain types of Pharmaceutical compounds in Washington D.C. area tap water reason for concern? The evidence cited were an investigative report done by the Associated Press and the USGS survey of various waterways across the U.S. The audience in this case is the general public, specifically Washington D.C. area residence. The article concludes that for the moment these findings do not warrant concern due to the very low concentration found, but it furthers states that the effects of long term exposure to such compounds at low doses is not know. the article goes on to say that it is also not known if these drugs may have a synergistic effect.
After researching this topic I believe the assertions of this article to be true. I also believe the evidence to be convincing. The Washington Post is a reputable newspaper and the article names most of its sources so one could independently verify the facts being stated. I am in the intended audience of the article and I will use the information in my final paper because this article was the first I had heard of tap water being tested and getting positive results. All other information I had read to this point cited findings of pharmaceuticals in ground and surface water only.
Brody, Julia Green, et al. "Breast cancer risk and drinking water contaminated by wastewater: a case control study." Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source 5.(2006): 28. MEDLINE. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2009
The question posed in this study was; is there a correlation between the high rate of breast cancer in Cape Cod and exposure to contaminated drinking water?
The evidence cited in this study were the cases of approximately 800 residence of Cape Cod that had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The study identified a marker compound, Nitrate-N, that is present in contaminated waste water. The participant were then tested for this marker compound. The audience for this study would be professionals involved in environmental and health sciences. The conclusion of this study was that there was no evidence found of a connection between an elevated rate of breast cancer and exposure to contaminated water supplies.
I believe the assertion was accurate. The authors of the study were careful in not saying there is no connection but there was no evidence found of such a connection. The evidence was convincing, the sample group was large and many aspect were examined in order to make the study as accurate as possible. I am not in the audience. The study was helpful, this was the first study that I have found that investigates this particular question of the effects of emerging contaminates on human health. I am not certain if I will us this study in my final Paper.
Student Choice #3
Leonnig, Carol D. "Area Tap Water Has Traces of Medicines." The Washington Post. 10 Mar. 2008: B1.retrieved from the web on 11/21/2009 at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/09/ST2008030901877.html
The question posed by this article is; does the recent discovery of certain types of Pharmaceutical compounds in Washington D.C. area tap water reason for concern? The evidence cited were an investigative report done by the Associated Press and the USGS survey of various waterways across the U.S. The audience in this case is the general public, specifically Washington D.C. area residence. The article concludes that for the moment these findings do not warrant concern due to the very low concentration found, but it furthers states that the effects of long term exposure to such compounds at low doses is not know. the article goes on to say that it is also not known if these drugs may have a synergistic effect.
After researching this topic I believe the assertions of this article to be true. I also believe the evidence to be convincing. The Washington Post is a reputable newspaper and the article names most of its sources so one could independently verify the facts being stated. I am in the intended audience of the article and I will use the information in my final paper because this article was the first I had heard of tap water being tested and getting positive results. All other information I had read to this point cited findings of pharmaceuticals in ground and surface water only.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Annotated bibliography #4 and Student Choice #1 and 2
Annotated Bibliography #4
Burkholder, JoAnn, et al. "Impacts of Waste from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations on Water Quality." Environmental Health Perspectives 115.2 (2007): 308-312. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
The question posed by this article is; what are the effects of concentrated animal feeding operations on surface and ground water quality. Specifically raising questions of fecal and pharmaceutical contamination. The evidence cited in this paper is quite convincing, and had an entire page of references. This paper had many more references than all the papers I have cited combined. Ranging from citations on the physiological effects of such pollutants to raw data gathered in the field. The audience for this article are professionals in the field of environmental science, wildlife biology and individuals involved in public health. The conclusion of this paper was a bit like the others I have read in that an effect on the water(surface and ground) and wildlife is clearly demonstrated. The effects on human health however, is a little less certain.
I felt the assertion in this article was accurate and the evidence was convincing. I was not in the intended audience, but even still this article was very useful to me, if for no other reason the the vast amount of references cited. I will most likely us the information in this article for my final paper.
Student Choice #1
"Poisoned Waters." Dir. Rick Young. Frontline. PBS. WGBH, Boston,
21 Apr. 2009. Television.
In this PBS documentary the question asked is in what state are our countries water ways and estuaries. The Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound were the primary areas of focus for this documentary. The evidence used in this film were many first had accounts and video documentation of the effect of pollution on the fisheries and other marine life in the areas mentioned above. The audience in this case would be the general public or anyone interested in the environment or public health. The conclusion is that without serious help these areas will fall victim to continuous algae plumes and almost no marine life in the water due to lack of oxygen. One of the most striking statements in this film was that 40% of the Chesapeake Bay was already a so called "Dead Zone" or an area void of life and oxygen in the water.
I believe this film's assertion to be accurate. The films video footage of these "Dead Zone" were quite convincing as well as first hand accounts of Professional fishing operators going out of business due to lack of fish, crab, and oysters. I would be in the intended audience, I found this film to be useful although it did not focus specifically on my topic I will most likely use some information in my final paper.
Student Choice #2
Margie Mason. "THE WORLD; 'Ecological sacrifice zone' in India; Water in a town with pharmaceutical plants that supply the U.S. is tainted with antibiotics and other strong drugs. " Los Angeles Times 8 Feb. 2009,Los Angeles Times, ProQuest. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
The question posed in this article would have to be; how diligent are pharmaceutical manufacturers at preventing there products or bi products from leeching into the environment? This article specifically addressed problems and concerning Indian pharmaceutical companies. The intended audience for this article is the general public. The conclusion of this article is that the Indian populations' fight against industrial pollution is an old and ongoing struggle and that these types of problems need to be addressed.
I believe the assertions made in this article to be accurate and the evidence is convincing. However, some of the sources were not cited. I am included in the intended audience. I believe this article will be useful in the final draft of my paper, and I will most likely cite this article.
Burkholder, JoAnn, et al. "Impacts of Waste from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations on Water Quality." Environmental Health Perspectives 115.2 (2007): 308-312. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
The question posed by this article is; what are the effects of concentrated animal feeding operations on surface and ground water quality. Specifically raising questions of fecal and pharmaceutical contamination. The evidence cited in this paper is quite convincing, and had an entire page of references. This paper had many more references than all the papers I have cited combined. Ranging from citations on the physiological effects of such pollutants to raw data gathered in the field. The audience for this article are professionals in the field of environmental science, wildlife biology and individuals involved in public health. The conclusion of this paper was a bit like the others I have read in that an effect on the water(surface and ground) and wildlife is clearly demonstrated. The effects on human health however, is a little less certain.
I felt the assertion in this article was accurate and the evidence was convincing. I was not in the intended audience, but even still this article was very useful to me, if for no other reason the the vast amount of references cited. I will most likely us the information in this article for my final paper.
Student Choice #1
"Poisoned Waters." Dir. Rick Young. Frontline. PBS. WGBH, Boston,
21 Apr. 2009. Television.
In this PBS documentary the question asked is in what state are our countries water ways and estuaries. The Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound were the primary areas of focus for this documentary. The evidence used in this film were many first had accounts and video documentation of the effect of pollution on the fisheries and other marine life in the areas mentioned above. The audience in this case would be the general public or anyone interested in the environment or public health. The conclusion is that without serious help these areas will fall victim to continuous algae plumes and almost no marine life in the water due to lack of oxygen. One of the most striking statements in this film was that 40% of the Chesapeake Bay was already a so called "Dead Zone" or an area void of life and oxygen in the water.
I believe this film's assertion to be accurate. The films video footage of these "Dead Zone" were quite convincing as well as first hand accounts of Professional fishing operators going out of business due to lack of fish, crab, and oysters. I would be in the intended audience, I found this film to be useful although it did not focus specifically on my topic I will most likely use some information in my final paper.
Student Choice #2
Margie Mason. "THE WORLD; 'Ecological sacrifice zone' in India; Water in a town with pharmaceutical plants that supply the U.S. is tainted with antibiotics and other strong drugs. " Los Angeles Times 8 Feb. 2009,Los Angeles Times, ProQuest. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
The question posed in this article would have to be; how diligent are pharmaceutical manufacturers at preventing there products or bi products from leeching into the environment? This article specifically addressed problems and concerning Indian pharmaceutical companies. The intended audience for this article is the general public. The conclusion of this article is that the Indian populations' fight against industrial pollution is an old and ongoing struggle and that these types of problems need to be addressed.
I believe the assertions made in this article to be accurate and the evidence is convincing. However, some of the sources were not cited. I am included in the intended audience. I believe this article will be useful in the final draft of my paper, and I will most likely cite this article.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Annotated Bibliography #2 and #3
Annotated Bibliography #2
Arnold, Robert G. "Pharmaceuticals without a Prescription." Journal of Environmental Engineering Oct. 2002: 907. Military & Government Collection. EBSCO. Web. 12 Nov. 2009.
First it is important to mention that this article is an editorial published in a professional journal. The question posed in this article is what affect are pharmaceutical pollutants and pharmaceutically active compounds having on the environment? Specifically, what are the health risks to humans.
The evidence presented is that of results of studies done by the USGS. The author compares levels of pharmaceutical contamination to that of therapeutic doses of the corresponding drugs. The audience of this article would be professionals in water and environmental sciences. The conclusion reached by this article is that the effects of such pharmaceutical contaminants at levels found is unknown but that levels found in the USGS study do not reach that of therapeutic doses. The author further concludes that these levels are sufficient to effect fish and other wildlife and have be demonstrated that such effects are taking place. The author further states the potentially disastrous effects if the level of these type of pollutants is allowed to increase.
I feel that the assertions made by the author are accurate and that the evidence presented is convincing.
I am not part of the intended audience. However I found the article useful. Specifically the author has constructed a table of the USGS findings compared with therapeutic doses of the same drugs. The dosing information was taken from the Physicians Desk Reference or PDR. This is the primary piece of information I will use in my final paper.
Annotated Bibliography #3
Baker, Michael E., et al. "Analysis of Endocrine Disruption in Southern California Coastal Fish Using an Aquatic Multispecies Microarray." Environmental Health Perspectives 117.2 (2009): 223-230. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 14 Nov. 2009.
The question posed by this article was; How are hormones and hormone like chemicals(endocrine disruptors)affecting fish and other marine life off the coast of Southern California? And is the a quantitative metod for detecting such effects. The evidence used in this article is a large amount of raw data put together in such a way as to show trends in change to exposure to such chemicals and to investigate if there are any physiological changes produced by exposure to these types of chemicals and can these changes be detected using specific methods cited in the article. The audience for this article would be scientists involved in the environmental and biological sciences. This article concludes in general that there are physiological changes marine life due to exposure of the above listed chemicals but the question of how widespread contamination is and the totality of changes in biology of marine life is yet to be determined.
The assertions made by this article I believe to be accurate and convincing due to the large amount of data gathered from many sources. I am not part of the intended audience. this article demonstrated that new methods of detecting effects of these types of pollutants was effective and this is helpful to me in that it demonstrates effects already taking place and the very real possibility that these types of chemicals may be having an effect on human populations, but these effects have yet to be determined with any type of completeness.
Arnold, Robert G. "Pharmaceuticals without a Prescription." Journal of Environmental Engineering Oct. 2002: 907. Military & Government Collection. EBSCO. Web. 12 Nov. 2009.
First it is important to mention that this article is an editorial published in a professional journal. The question posed in this article is what affect are pharmaceutical pollutants and pharmaceutically active compounds having on the environment? Specifically, what are the health risks to humans.
The evidence presented is that of results of studies done by the USGS. The author compares levels of pharmaceutical contamination to that of therapeutic doses of the corresponding drugs. The audience of this article would be professionals in water and environmental sciences. The conclusion reached by this article is that the effects of such pharmaceutical contaminants at levels found is unknown but that levels found in the USGS study do not reach that of therapeutic doses. The author further concludes that these levels are sufficient to effect fish and other wildlife and have be demonstrated that such effects are taking place. The author further states the potentially disastrous effects if the level of these type of pollutants is allowed to increase.
I feel that the assertions made by the author are accurate and that the evidence presented is convincing.
I am not part of the intended audience. However I found the article useful. Specifically the author has constructed a table of the USGS findings compared with therapeutic doses of the same drugs. The dosing information was taken from the Physicians Desk Reference or PDR. This is the primary piece of information I will use in my final paper.
Annotated Bibliography #3
Baker, Michael E., et al. "Analysis of Endocrine Disruption in Southern California Coastal Fish Using an Aquatic Multispecies Microarray." Environmental Health Perspectives 117.2 (2009): 223-230. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 14 Nov. 2009.
The question posed by this article was; How are hormones and hormone like chemicals(endocrine disruptors)affecting fish and other marine life off the coast of Southern California? And is the a quantitative metod for detecting such effects. The evidence used in this article is a large amount of raw data put together in such a way as to show trends in change to exposure to such chemicals and to investigate if there are any physiological changes produced by exposure to these types of chemicals and can these changes be detected using specific methods cited in the article. The audience for this article would be scientists involved in the environmental and biological sciences. This article concludes in general that there are physiological changes marine life due to exposure of the above listed chemicals but the question of how widespread contamination is and the totality of changes in biology of marine life is yet to be determined.
The assertions made by this article I believe to be accurate and convincing due to the large amount of data gathered from many sources. I am not part of the intended audience. this article demonstrated that new methods of detecting effects of these types of pollutants was effective and this is helpful to me in that it demonstrates effects already taking place and the very real possibility that these types of chemicals may be having an effect on human populations, but these effects have yet to be determined with any type of completeness.
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