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+--- Thread: Environmental impact of pills (/showthread.php?tid=541)
Environmental impact of pills - Sydney Stiles - 01-10-2020
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-51007527
Studies in Scotland have discovered that the medications people are taking are ending up in the rivers and sea. When people take medication in the form of pills not all of it gets absorbed and some chemicals are discharged as urine. It is then taken to the waste treatment plant where some medications have been proven to make it through the cleaning process and into freshwater.
Currently there is no evidence of a risk to the public but it may be causing issues in marine wildlife.
The team says "potential solutions include using bark, or grain left as a by-product of the whisky distilling industry, to absorb the material from waste water." People are also reminded to return any unused medication to a pharmacy to be disposed of safely.
RE: Environmental impact of pills - Racheal Edoamen - 01-11-2020
This is really saddening to see and the worst part is there's not much that can be done as you cannot force a person's body to absorb all of the chemicals they take in as medications. I think it would be good to focus on the more likely preventable ways of discharging chemicals into water bodies which would be avoiding doing so purposefully.
RE: Environmental impact of pills - Justin Robertson - 01-11-2020
Although there is no current risk to the public, the issues may become a serious problem if not handled correct. If people are drinking the water contaminated with medications, it may cause dangerous health problems.