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The widespread discovery of pharmaceuticals in drinking water has sparked sharp responses from local governments and concerned citizens

New York State’s attorney general recently fined five hospitals and nursing homes for disposing their unused pharmaceuticals into the local sewer system.

Reports suggest that each year an estimated 650 million pounds of pharmaceuticals are dumped into the sewer system by hospitals and health care facilities.

Academic and government researchers have measured the impact of popular medicines on fish and wildlife in the nation’s waters. These reports are alarming and could be an early warning for potential health problems in humans.

The EPA continues to investigate and is “proposing a system for disposing hazardous pharmaceutical wastes that is protective of public health and the environment”. This would apply to pharmacies, physicians’ offices, dentists’ offices, and other health care facilities.

You don’t have to wait for policymakers to get involved with this important issue. The following is a list of actions you can take today.

The sea of daily news and updates surrounding health care legislation can be overwhelming and it’s easy to get lost in the minutia.  

Here’s a brief update on where we stand today.

The US House of Representatives passed their version of health care legislation on November 7th and the US Senate pass their version on December 24th.

Since both the House and Senate have different versions of health care reform they must appoint members from each body to a conference committee. A detailed description of how conference committees work can be found here.

It is in this committee where they will compromise their differences and produce a draft that can be passed by both chambers and ultimately sent to the President where it will be signed into law.