In the US we have some of the best living conditions that can be found anywhere in the world. We are prideful in this fact and boasts of it often. So, it comes as quite a shock to hear of the recent findings that have declared that there actually are drugs in our drinking water. It's quite a frightening thought which pops into the mind every time you fill up a glass with tap water. Imagine drinking a light cocktail of heart medications, tranquilizers, anti-depressants and even sex hormones - everyday! That's what it comes to. The regular intake of these drugs in our drinking water can harm us in the long run.

There are a number of researches and studies that are being conducted to determine the amount of prescription medications and their combined by-products and drugs found in US drinking water. They are also studying the effect of this contaminated water on the cells of human beings. Some results have shown that cancer cells grow rapidly in the contaminated water - drinking or otherwise. Other results have shown that normal cell development is hindered when exposed for long periods of time to this water.

Some people and specially water treatment bodies and pharmaceutical companies are of the opinion that the traces of drugs found in US drinking water are so low that they will not have any impact on human health. however, ingestion of heart medication, blood pressure medicine, contraceptives, mood stabilizers and even cancer medicines over a long period of time even in minute doses will definitely have some impact on human health!

You may wonder how these drugs found in US drinking water end up there in the first place. A lot of doctors and health facilities recommend flushing unused medications down the toilet. These medications find their way into treatment plants that are not equipped well-enough to clean the water of these. Worse still are the drugs that end up in the ground water as these cause contamination to an even greater number. The bacteria and viruses that grow in sewers and were traditionally treated with antibiotics now evolve in the antibiotic water and become resistant to the very drugs that are meant to kill them. This means that there are now new strains of super bugs that are now difficult to kill and can harm people to a greater extent.

There is not enough awareness about this problem. And even among those who are aware, the seriousness is not enough to try and control it. It is up to us to be aware and take precautions and control measures instead of condemning the governing bodies. There are two things that need to be done. One is to clear out the drugs in our drinking water and the other is to do our bit to ensure that these drugs don't get into the water system. Clearing the drugs in our drinking water is easier than it seems. What you will need is a very good filtration technique. Nowadays there are lots of good filtering systems designed specifically to clean pharmaceutical drugs from water. You have to look carefully to see that this is being done by the filtration system you choose.

It is in our interest to see that we don't dispose of prescription drugs by flushing them into the sewage system. We can spread this idea among our friends and relatives.