We often tend to forget it, but drugs also pollute. Pollution from medicines is a problem that affects all countries, and is not determined only by the incorrect methods of disposing of medicines, but also by further causes that are often unsuspected. But all things considered, how much do the drugs we usually use pollute?
How much drugs pollute what do we normally take? When we swallow a pill, we hardly ask ourselves this question. We tend to think that the only drug pollution which we should worry about is the one caused by those who, by mistake, throw the expired medicines in the toilet or in the undifferentiated waste bin.
In reality, drugs pollute in many other ways, even when we use them correctly and dispose of them in the most appropriate way.
For example, it is easy to imagine what the impact of the pharmaceutical industry on the environment could be. The “simple” production process involves theextraction of natural substances and theemission of pollutants in the atmosphere. The problem, however, does not only concern the work of pharmaceutical companies in the strict sense, but also the way in which we metabolize and excrete the active ingredients that make up medicines.
In this space dedicated to the environment, we will see what the main source of environmental pollution from drugs and how to stem this form of pollution to improve the health of our planet.
How and how much do drugs pollute?
As we mentioned, the medicines we ingest can pollute the environment in various ways. In addition to the impact related to the pharmaceutical industries, the way we dispose of medical waste also has an impact enormous impact on the ecosystem.
One of the most unexpected and at the same time harmful routes for the environment is the one that takes place through ours evacuations.
Simply put, every time we take a drug of any kind we metabolize all or part of its active ingredients. The unmetabolized part is excreted from our body through feces and urine.
This small percentage may contain active ingredients, excipients and other components that end up in wastewater. The latter, then, should be purified in order to completely eliminate residual substances. The problem arises from the fact that wastewater treatment plants are not always capable of remove drugs completely.
And so some medicinal residues end up in rivers, then in the seas and then in the oceans, where they accumulate in huge quantities.
What drugs are most present in the environment?
The problem of drug pollution concerns all types of medicines, although some types are more widespread than others.
Among these, for example, some types of have been reported anti-inflammatories (especially ibuprofen and diclofenac) e antibiotics. Among the drugs often found in rivers are also:antiepilettico carbamazepine andantidiabetic metformin.
The problem, among other things, affects practically every country in the world, including developing ones.
What are the main consequences of drug pollution?
As you might imagine, drug pollution can have a profound impact on flora and fauna aquatic, but not only. This form of pollution can also lead to the development of increasingly resistant bacteriafueling the already serious problem ofantibiotic resistance.
Returning to the impact on animals, the presence of drugs, excipients and active ingredients in the waters of rivers and seas strongly damages the health of fish, crustaceans and molluscs, altering their development, metabolism and, in short, leading to their death.
The same applies to plants, which undoubtedly and strongly suffer the effects of pharmacological pollution. It’s not just aquatic creatures that are in danger. Also birds and other animals are at serious risk due to the widespread presence of drugs dispersed in the environment.
How to reduce the damage caused to the environment by drugs?
Being aware of the environmental risk from drugs and personal care substances is already a first and important step improve our habits and stem the problem.
To do this, you must first adopt the good habit of take medicines only if really necessary. You should also avoid throwing expired medicines in the garbage or, even worse, down the sink or toilet.
As for the release of drugs through our bowel movements, reducing the size of the problem is necessary improve wastewater treatment and, even better, create drugs with a lower impact on the environment.
Sources
Source: www.greenstyle.it
