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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.

Child slave labor thrives in Haiti today. An estimated quarter of a million Haitian children work as slave laborers, an issue largely forgotten amid the sea of incomprehensible tragedies in Haiti.

These children are known as “restaveks”, a Haitian Creole word that means “stays with”. Many impoverished families in rural parts of Haiti send their children away to stay with, or more accurately “work for” families in urban areas of Haiti.

The majority of these children are female and undocumented. Many are raped, assaulted and subjected to abysmal working conditions without pay.

The Pan American Development Foundation recently completed the most comprehensive on-the-ground evaluation of the status of restaveks in Haiti. You can read the entire report here (large pdf).

There are undoubtedly many problems in Haiti today. Years of natural disasters and corruption have taken much from those who have very little. The future of Haiti will come from its children and those who seek to protect them.

The following two organizations are working to protect and educate the restaveks of Haiti. 

E-waste, or electronic waste, is a growing social issue around the world. Many components in electronic devices pose hazardous disposal problems. Devices that contain toxic elements such as lead, mercury and nickel can contaminate soil and drinking water. It is not uncommon for developed nations to transfer their discarded computers, cell phones and other electronic [...]