FLUSHED OUT…
We use medicine often and for a number of ailments but do we ever wonder what happens to all these pills once we throw them away? Well, unfortunately, they mostly end up in the water waste being flushed down the toilet or in the landfills slowly leaking into the ground. The problem is that just because the medicine may have reached its expiration date, it doesn’t mean the active ingredients in them stop working instantly.
An Associated Press analysis has recently found 56 pharmaceuticals in the drinking water in many of American metropolitan areas. Some of the drugs found in the drinking water supplied to 41 million people include pain killers, medicines for asthma, epilepsy, high cholesterol, heart conditions, infections and mental illness.
The issue is far more complex than that. Not only do we have to be concerned about the impact of drugs prescribed to people, but certain pharmaceuticals used on animals as well. Cattle, for instance, is fed a slow-release anabolic steroid to make them gain weight faster, some of which passes through the animal and more often that not ends up in waterways. There, it keeps working affecting fish populations, which show increased levels of steroids as well as physical changes.
I’m sure nobody wants to drink water containing various medicines or even traces of them. So what can we do? The best solution is working towards keeping drugs from reaching the waterways, since this is a long-term threat. Bottled water really is not the answer since no steps are taken to remove the traces of medicines from the spring sources.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and American Pharmacists Association recommend the following methods of disposing of your pharmaceuticals:
• Pour liquid medicine in the plastic bags before disposing in the trash. Birth control patches can be folded and thrown in the garbage.
• Crush the pills in the plastic bags to prevent airborne particles.
• Mix coffee grounds or cat litter in the bag containing the drugs and seal the bag.
• Place the bag in the regular trash fro disposal.
• Don’t forget to remove and destroy all identifying information from the containers before disposing of them (optimally in the recycled bins).
GETTING RID OF BISPHENOL A
There has been a lot of talk lately about the harmful effects of bisphenol A (BPA), a major component of #7 polycarbonate (PC) water and baby bottles. The research into the effects of BPA on animals has provided enough evidence that plastic containing the chemical poses developmental, neurological and behavioral problems for fetuses, infants and children.
So now you find yourself searching through your pantry, checking all your plastic bottles and containers (just to be on the safe side) if any of them are polycarbonate (usually represented by #7 in the triangle at the bottom of your plastic container). And if you happen to have any, what is the best bay to dispose of them? Well, unfortunately, polycarbonate is not highly recyclable so the first thing to do is to find out if it can be recycled in your area. Moreover, if you can, try not to throw polycarbonate in regular trash since it will end up in the landfills. Instead, send it back to the manufacturer.
It is crucial to know, however, that not all #7 plastic bottles are polycarbonate, therefore containing BPA. Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a corn-based biodegradable plastic that is also #7. One way to distinguish between the two is by the appearance of the bottles. PLA is less clear and more pliable than BPA plastic. Fortunately, an increasing number of companies are pledging to use the more eco-friendly varieties of plastic.
Meantime, if you’re still not sure whether you should replace your old plastic with new and improved one, do a bit of research about what is available in your store and go from there.
WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND
Have you ever really thought what toxic waste is? With all the talk lately about being green and such, I’m quite sure you’ve heard the term mentioned once or twice. So what is toxic waste?
Well, it is constituted by poisonous byproducts of nearly every aspect of human life, from farming, septic systems, manufacturing, construction, laboratories, garages, hospitals and many other industries. It comes in a variety of forms—waste can be solid, liquid or sludge, and it contains chemicals, heavy metals, radiation and dangerous pathogens. Even your own house creates hazardous waste from items such as used computer equipment, batteries, and leftover paints or pesticides. The toxins are harmful to all forms of life if encountered in streams, groundwater supplying the drinking water or buried in the ground. Some heavy metals persist, for instance mercury, and are consumed by both people and animals when eating fish.
So what happens with all these toxins? The ways of disposing of any hazardous waste are regulated by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which requires that any such waste be disposed of in designated facilities throughout the US. The most common way of discarding toxins is storing them in sealed containers under ground. Less toxic waste, like soil with lead, may be allowed to stay buried under ground and then sealed off with a clay cap. These areas may later be labeled “brown fields” suitable for industrial or commercial use or be used for golf courses, parks and such.
Unfortunately, illegal dumping of hazardous waste still happens and even tough EPA tries to increase the severity of restrictions, so far greedy corporations opt for the illegal dumping since all facilities charge fees for discarding toxic waste. Hopefully, there are more environmentally conscious corporations than the greedy ones…
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OZONE DEPLETION
Summer is coming fast and in a lot of places it’s pretty much already here. So I have decided to refresh my memory (and perhaps yours as well) about a few main facts regarding ozone depletion. I am not trying to scare anyone off from going to the beach this summer (God know we get that enough from the doctors!), but merely provide a few facts for you to consider before you go and spend days out in the sun…
Here it is:
- Ozone is a layer of natural gas in the Earth’s stratosphere and it serves as a shield against sun’s ultraviolet B radiation.
- The layer is deteriorating quickly due to air pollution containing the chemicals chlorine and bromine, which is a common concern for many scientists since UV B rays can cause skin cancer in humans and even harm animals.
- The primary causes of ozone depletion are CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)—chemicals found in spray aerosols used widely in the last 50 years. When CFCs reach the atmosphere, they are exposed to UV B rays, which cause them to break down into various substances, including chlorine. This, in turn, reacts with oxygen found in ozone destroying ozone molecules.
- One atom of chlorine can destroy a hundred thousand ozone molecules!
- CFCs were banned in 1996, thus the amount of chlorine in the atmosphere is falling but the scientists predict it will take another 50 years for it to return to its normal level.
- The ozone layer above Antarctic has been mostly impacted by the air pollution with its depletion reaching about 65%, while other areas in the world suffer about 20% ozone layer depletion.
If you think that it isn’t such a big deal and that the UVB rays are not the enemy everyone is trying to make them be, think of this:
- UVB rays slow down the reproduction of phytoplankton, such as algae, which may lead to the reduction of other animal populations.
- Reduction in the reproductive cycles of young fish, shrimp, crabs, frogs and salamanders exposed to UVB rays have also been documented.
THE PROS AND CONS OF BIOFUELS
For the last few years, and especially recently, the production of biofuels has been on the rise and it doesn’t seem like it will curb at any time soon. However, the question of whether this is ecologically best choice remains to be answered. Personally, I think there are more negatives than positives for these resources to be our best bet. So inspired by and article in “Fortune”, I decided to put forward a list of most popular biofuels and their pros and cons for you to decide it for yourself.
CORN ETHANOL
Pros:
Compared with oil it may help decrease the gas emissions as well as reduce the world’s dependence on oil. It also promotes the building of biofuels infrastructure.
Cons:
The production of ethanol requires a lot of energy, which doesn’t quite cover the energy efficiency demand. The recent boom in corn demand has increased the prices of corn bushels from $2 last year to $5 this year, which means an increased cost of everything from beef to soft drinks and most of your groceries. Farmers devote more land to corn and less to other grains, which raises the prices of corn worldwide. Over 450 lbs of corn are needed to produce 25 gallons of ethanol—enough to feed a person for a year!
BIODIESEL
Pros:
It is estimated that biodiesel will reduce gas emissions 40%-80%. It also provides 90% more energy than is required to produce it.
Cons:
The demand for biodiesel has led to an increasing number of Amazon and South East Asia forests being cut down and replaced with palm tree plantations, which released huge amounts of greenhouses gasses into the atmosphere and, in itself, is more of a danger than solution. Luckily, the practice has been limited.
SUGAR-CANE ETHANOL
Pros:
Sugar-cane generates more ethanol per acre than corn and it needs less energy to produce, therefore is regarded as a more eco-friendly than corn ethanol. The increased demand for sugar ethanol hasn’t raised the food prices since sugar is not a basic ingredient in food production like corn.
Cons:
Growing cane requires a certain type of climate, namely warm and rainy, which limits its potential for being a global source of fuel.
CELLULOSIC ETHANOL
Pros:
The production of cellulosic ethanol doesn’t involve switching the use of cropland from growing food to growing biofuels since it is made by breaking down wood chips, farm waste and nonfood crops, such as grass.
Cons:
It requires more energy to produce ethanol from nonfood plants than corn or sugar cane. The production of cellulosic ethanol is still expensive and the process of making ethanol from nonfood plants is difficult.
ALGAL BIOFUEL
Pros:
Since it is a fastest growing plant on the planet, algae can produce up to 30 times more energy per acre than other biofuel sources. Moreover, a promising combination of byproducts can be made into algal-biofuels, which may contribute to their cost effectiveness.
Cons:
Unfortunately, the biomass for making algal biofuel does not yet exist and it has to be grown. Harvesting it is quite expensive, thus cost effective production of this type of biofuel is still years away.