by Sherrill Sellman, N.D.
 
Have you ever wondered what happens to the hundreds
of millions of prescription drugs and over-the-counter
medications that Americans swallow every day? Probably not.
So, here’s something to ponder as you’re sipping your
morning coffee or relaxing in your aromatherapy bath. Up to
90 percent of every drug that a person puts into his body is
either eliminated unchanged or broken down into an active
metabolite before being excreted down the toilet and into the
sewage system where it finds its way into the water supplies.
But then there’s one more step to this chain of events, this drug
ultimately returns to its source via the water faucet.
It is estimated that there are 129 widely used drugs in
municipal waste water systems nationwide. They include
antibiotics, antacids, antidepressants, birth control pills, hormone
replacement therapy (estrogen and progestins), seizure
medication, cancer treatments, painkillers, tranquilizers, cholesterol
lowering compounds, caffeine and nicotine, to name
just a few.
According to Christian G. Daughton of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, “the amount of pharmaceuticals
and personal care products entering the environment annually
is about equal to the amount of pesticides used each year.”
This collection of chemical compounds is officially known
as Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Pollutants (PPCPs).
They consist of a very broad and diverse assortment of thousands
of chemical substances that Americans use on a daily
basis. Little if any thought is given to the consequence as staggering
quantities of these chemicals are washed down the sink,
flushed down the toilet as human waste, or rinsed from our
bodies into shower drains to be released into the environment.
Many pharmaceutical and personal care products have
persistent chemicals and compounds that remain biologically
active after they leave the body or are disposed into land.lls
and water systems. Hospitals, doctor’s of.ces, veterinary
clinics, farms, ranches and average homes are continual
sources of PPCPs. It’s a sobering thought to realize that each
one of us, however unwittingly, is contributing to the PPCP’s
toxic load permeating our water systems.
PPCPs also find their way into the water from unused medications
flushed down the toilet, through failing septic systems
or discharged from wastewater treatment plants.
Even though PPCPs are pervasive, very little research has
been conducted about the potential effects of this low-level,
long-term exposure to combinations of chemicals on human
and aquatic life.
What does this mean for the environment? Many chemicals
are designed to profoundly affect humans’ physiology.
According to Christian G. Daughton, “It wouldn’t be surprising
if they affected fish, birds, frogs and insects, as well.
Yet, unlike pesticides, these drugs—as well as shampoos,
sunscreens and other personal care products rushing down
the drain—aren’t examined for their effect on the environment
before they’re placed on the market. This is surprising especially
since certain pharmaceuticals are designed to modulate
endocrine and immune systems. Hence, they have obvious
potential as endocrine disruptors in the environment.”
And Would You Like Birth Control Pills With Your Coffee?
Synthetic estrogen hormones are taken by millions of women
for birth control and hormonal replacement therapies as well
as prescribed to men for treatment of prostate cancer. Both
natural and synthetic estrogens enter sewage treatment
plants in large quantities; so do estrogen-mimicking chemicals
from degradation of surfactants and plasticizers. Do
these hormones interfere with vulnerable hormonal receptors
in living creatures?
The jury is in . . . and the answer is: YES!
Results from a recent Canadian study provided concrete evidence
of just what exposure to these chemicals portends. For
three years, Canadian scientists added birth control pills to a
remote Ontario Lake to measure its impact. The results: All
male fish in the lake—from tiny tadpoles to large trout—were
“feminized,” meaning they had egg proteins growing abnormally
in their bodies. Feminized male fish are now being
found in rivers and streams throughout the world.
In river otters, frogs and other aquatic life populations, the
effect is the same—the presence of female hormones is
making the male species less male—much less male.
Washington state scientists have found that synthetic estrogen
can drastically reduce the fertility of male rainbow trout.
Some of the known potential impacts on organisms
include delayed development in fish, delayed metamorphosis
in frogs and a variety of reactions, including altered behavior
and reproduction.
Evidence is already mounting on the impact to humans.
One study found that rural men exposed to certain pesticides
that act like estrogen had lower sperm counts. Could
estrogen-laced water contribute to sharply falling human
sperm counts? In Europe, researchers have tied a decline in
male sperm count to levels of estrogenic hormones in the environment.
What about the rising numbers of breast and uterine
cancers, early puberty and hypospadias, a birth defect of the urethra
and penis, from exposure to estrogenic compounds? It is
not dif.cult to imagine how unnatural exposure to potent
estrogen hormones, as well as estrogen mimics, could be a part
of these growing trends to the hormonal health of both adults
and children.
Antibiotics—Too Much of a Good Thing
Detection of antibiotics in drinking water is of particular
concern because the presence of these chemicals in the environment
may lead to the development of resistant bacterial
strains, thus diminishing the therapeutic effectiveness of
antibiotics.
Some of the antibiotics detected were Class 1 drugs,
meaning physicians typically fall back on them when other
antibiotics don’t work. Why is it that other antibiotics are less
effective? No controversy there but general overuse of antibiotics
by physicians and farmers.
Meanwhile, thousands of pounds of triclosan (the active
ingredient in antibacterial soaps, deodorants, sponges and
household cleaners) are also going down the drain into our
waterways. Studies have shown that triclosan contributes to
the resistance problem because it is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial
agent, killing all bacteria on the body and household
surfaces, even the beneficial kind. That, in turn, creates an
environment where the superbugs can flourish.
Due to a germ phobia public, the use of antibacterial products
is steadily growing. Too bad. Not only are they dangerous
to the environment but they are also unnecessary and ineffective.
According to Dr. Tamar Barlan, director of the Center for
Science in the Public Interest’s project on antibiotic resistance,
“The use of these products has never been shown to be
superior, to my knowledge, to regular soap and water.”
Just Drink Your Prozac and Call Me in the Morning
An estimated 157 million prescriptions for antidepressants
were dispensed in the U.S. in 2002. That’s a lot of happy pills.
The most popular kind are the selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRIs) which include Prozac, Zoloft, Luvox and
Paxil. Researchers at Baylor University have found in Texas
traces of Prozac and other antidepressants in the livers, muscles
and brains of bluegill fish, along with traces in people who
don’t take Prozac but do eat fish.
In August 2004, major headlines in Britain announced that
Prozac was found in U.K. drinking water. Environmentalists
have described the situation as “hidden mass medication of
the unsuspecting public.” Since the U.K., like the U.S., has no
monitoring of levels of Prozac or other PPCPs, a serious public
health crisis is brewing. In the U.K. there has been a 166 percent
increase in antidepressant prescriptions since 1991—up
to 24 million prescriptions a year.
No one really knows what might be the effect when whole
populations, including pregnant women and children, are
getting traces of these drugs through their water supplies.
It is known, however, that there can be serious side
effects including depression, insomnia, hallucinations, selfmutilating
behavior and violence.
Now that the problem of PPCPs has been clearly identified,
the tricky part is what to do about it. To begin with, whenever
possible choose nontoxic personal care products. They’re
better for your body and the environment. Consider investigating
natural therapies instead of relying on pharmaceutical
drugs. Use the political process and make your feelings known
on a local, state and national level as well as supporting environmental
organizations.
The day may come when pharmaceutical companies will
take responsibility for the life cycle of their products; the EPA
and FDA will enact protective regulations for PPCPs; and new
sewage treatment technologies will be developed and
installed. But for right now, it seems that we’re on our own.
According to Bill Turner, New Mexico’s natural resources
trustee, “It is a well established fact that conventional sewage
treatment technologies do not completely remove drug and
chemical residues. Other methods, such as activated carbon
filtration or treatment with ultraviolet light, likely would
remove the drugs but could be costly.”
So, if we can’t rely on the municipal water treatment systems,
it’s really up to each person to find solutions. It is
obvious that homes, restaurants, hospitals, schools and businesses
must realize the importance of providing not only pesticide
and heavy metal free water, but also PPCP free water. It
has been shown that the most effective water purification
system for removing all these contaminants, including PPCPs,
is an activated carbon filtration system. There are units, which
can filter your tap water, but it would be far wiser to install a
whole home unit. Investing in this kind of system is your best
protection for yourself and your family.
Before you select a filtration system, do your homework.
Make sure any system you buy has been tested and certified
and proven to be effective. One whole house system
we have researched and can safely recommend is manufactured
by LifeSource Water Systems, a reputable and
established company in Pasadena, CA. Find them at
www.LifeSourceWater.com.
Sherrill Sellman, N.D, author of the best-selling book,
Hormone Heresy: What Women MUST Know About Their
Hormones, international lecturer and psychotherapist, can be
contacted at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Her free monthly
HormoneWise e-Digest is available at www.ssellman.com.
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