Abstract

The ubiquitous presence of pharmaceuticals in our lives is underappreciated. In the United States between 2009 and 2012, almost half the population used at least one prescription drug and more than one in ten Americans used five or more prescription drugs within a 30-day period. The use of pharmaceuticals is so widespread that runoffs from incorrect disposal of drugs have become a pollutant in our drinking water. In 2009, researchers found 51 different pharmaceuticals from beta-blockers to antianxiety medications to anticonvulsants in 19 water treatment plants. Environmental impacts are worrisome for sure, but the effects of drugs on us raise far deeper concerns.