[ RadSafe ] The solution to pollution

[Steven Dapra]

Aug. 22

         Yes, don't you just love tautologies.

         Expired medications can end up in river water that is used 
for drinking water.

         See for example:

http://ag.arizona.edu/azwater/awr/july00/feature1.htm

         The article does not suggest any human health effects, but 
does note that a lot of pharmaceuticals end up in drinking 
water.  You can do a Google search using "medications in river water" 
and obtain more results.

Steven Dapra


At 03:05 PM 8/22/2011, you wrote:
>     Many years ago, when I began to work in the environmental health field,
>there existed a guideline to the effect, "The solution to pollution is
>dilution". In other words, if it could be assured that disposal of 
>any harmful
>agent could not result in environmental concentrations above designated
>standards, the disposal method could be considered acceptable. Over 
>time, this
>approach had apparently been superceded by the "Any is too much" philosophy
>where the detectible presence of anything harmful is not acceptable. 
>The ALARA
>principle in radiation safety is a manifestation of this type of thinking.

>     Now, it seems that we have evolved to the next level. I recently noted a
>warning from our state Health Dept. to the effect that any disposal 
>of outdated
>medications into the sewage system is forbidden. I've tried to 
>imagine a set of
>conditions where this practice might conceivably result in some 
>harmful effect,
>but I am stumped. When I inquired about the rational, I learned the 
>reason for
>this prohibition is because the practice is illegal. OK, ---I give  up! Maybe
>someone on radsafe has a reasonable explanation.

>Jerry Cohen