Many individuals have previously been prescribed medication, and as of 2021, 64.8% of adults aged 18 and older continued to take prescription medication. However, many individuals are unaware of the proper methods for disposing of their medication after use and often flush unused or expired medications down the toilet or throw them in the trash, not knowing the consequences of pharmaceutical pollution.
Pharmaceutical pollution, also known as drug pollution, occurs when pharmaceutical drugs are released into the environment. Pharmaceutical drugs are specifically designed to treat or prevent diseases in individuals. This is easy to see, as they can be prescribed with a note from a healthcare provider, and even Tylenol counts as a type of pharmaceutical drug.
Pharmaceutical pollution is a significant environmental issue caused by various factors, including the manufacturing process, agriculture, and more. However, the biggest factor is an action most people have contributed to at some point: throwing away medication improperly. Out of all the factors, this improper disposal significantly contributes to pharmaceutical pollution. Over 100,000 tons of pharmaceutical products are consumed globally each year, and most are discarded into the ocean, impacting marine life. According to the journal “Pharmaceutical Pollution of the World’s Rivers,” by John L. Wilkinson, the study highlights how pharmaceutical products impact aquatic life. The study monitored 1,052 sampling sites along 258 rivers in 104 countries, and out of the 61 targeted active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), 53 were detected at least at one sampling site, with the highest concentration being 70.8 µg/L.
These statistics show that many pharmaceutical products seep into aquatic environments. However, one small question lingers in our minds: do pharmaceutical drugs actually impact aquatic organisms? Consistent exposure to pharmaceutical products could lead to the “feminization of fish and amphibians.” Feminization is caused by hormonal disruption. Hormonal disruption occurs when pharmaceutical compounds interfere with normal hormone functions in marine organisms. In simple terms, feminization means a reversal of gender roles—where males take on female roles and females take on male roles. Disrupted hormones can lead to reproductive issues and anomalous mating behaviors, which may eventually reduce the populations of affected species.
While the feminization of species might not have a direct impact on humans, consuming species exposed to pharmaceutical pollution could lead to antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance is when germs develop resistance to drugs designed to kill them. If you eat fish contaminated with a pharmaceutical product, you may experience the same side effects as if you had ingested the drug. Moreover, if you consume too much, you can develop resistance to that drug. This is why there is a limit to how much of a medication can be taken daily. Continued exposure to a particular drug may render it ineffective when you really need it. So, how can we fix this issue? As mentioned earlier, the main reason for pharmaceutical pollution is the improper disposal of medication, meaning that proper disposal methods could significantly reduce pharmaceutical pollution. We should avoid flushing or pouring pharmaceuticals down the drain. MedlinePlus provides guidelines on how to properly dispose of medication: (1) Take the medicine out of its container, (2) mix it with other undesirable garbage, such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds, (3) avoid crushing pills or capsules, (4) place the mixture into a sealable plastic bag or sealed container that won’t leak, and dispose of it in the trash. This small action can go a long way in eliminating pharmaceutical pollution.
Plastic waste that we can see with our eyes is causing major problems in the ocean, but we must not forget that issues we cannot see, such as pharmaceutical pollution, are also affecting our oceans are also affecting our oceans.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7216a7.htm
https://eeb.org/en/the-problem-of-pharmaceutical-pollution/
https://backtoblueinitiative.com/sea-sickness-the-pharmaceutical-pollution-problem/
https://www.epa.gov/household-medication-disposal/how-pharmaceuticals-enter-environment
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2113947119#con1
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000943.htm
https://backtoblueinitiative.com/sea-sickness-the-pharmaceutical-pollution-problem/