RainSoft of Louisville - Flushing or Pouring Medicine Down the Drain Can Cause Contaminated Drinking Water

RainSoft of Louisville - The Importance of Properly Disposing of Medications and Keeping Our Drinking Water Safe

In homes that use septic tanks, prescription and over-the-counter drugs flushed down the toilet can leach into the ground and seep into ground water.

In cities and towns where residences are connected to wastewater treatment plants, prescription and over-the-counter drugs poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet can pass through the treatment system and enter rivers and lakes. They may flow downstream to serve as sources for community drinking water supplies. Water treatment plants are generally not equipped to routinely remove medicines.

How Proper Disposal of Medicines Protects You and the Earth:

• Prevents poisoning of children and pets
• Deters misuse by teenagers and adults
• Avoids health problems from accidentally taking the wrong medicine, too much of the same medicine, or a medicine that is too old to work well
• Keeps medicines from entering streams and rivers when poured down the drain or flushed down the toilet

See the EPA Guidelines on How to Dispose of Medicine Properly

No filter will remove every contaminant, in part because the list of risky chemicals keeps growing.  But here are the most common types of filters and the major contaminants they are designed to trap:

1. Carbon filters include countertop pitchers, faucet-mounted models, undersink models (which usually require a permanent connection to an existing pipe), and whole-house or point-of-entry systems (usually installed in the basement or outside). Carbon, a porous material, absorbs impurities as the water passes through.  What they remove: Lead, PCBs, chlorine byproducts (chloramines and trihalomethanes), certain parasites, radon, pesticides and herbicides, the gasoline additive MTBE, the dry-cleaning solvent trichloroethylene, some volatile organic compounds, some levels of bacteria (such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia) and a small number of pharmaceuticals.
2. Reverse-osmosis systems push water through a semipermeable membrane, which acts as an extremely fine filter. They're often used in conjunction with carbon filters. However, these systems waste 4 to 9 gallons (15 to 34 liters) of water for every gallon (3.8 liters) filtered.  What they remove: Chemicals carbon filters may miss, including perchlorate, sulfates, fluoride, industrial chemicals, heavy metals (including lead), chlorine byproducts, chlorides (which make water taste salty), and pharmaceuticals.
3. Ultraviolet light units disinfect water, killing bacteria. Countertop units can be found for under U.S. $100, but most whole-house units cost $700 and upward. What they remove: Bacteria. Experts recommend using them with carbon filters to remove other contaminants.
4. Distillers, probably the least practical home method, boil and condense water. While countertop units are available, distillers use lots of electricity, generate excess heat, and require regular cleaning. Explore filters or other alternatives to remove your contaminants, or, in a pinch, buy distilled water. What they remove: Heavy metals (including lead), particles, total dissolved solids, microbes, fluoride, lead, and mercury.

Water Filter Buying Guide from National Geographic

RainSoft Drinking Water Systems

Bottled water quality without the bottle. You'll enjoy deliciously fresh drinking water all the time with one of our reverse osmosis systems. And with RainSoft drinking water purification systems, there are no heavy bottles to lug or deliveries to schedule. Just turn on the faucet and enjoy. You'll also be doing the environment a favor!

Coffee, tea, ice, soups, juices...you name it! Anything made with water from RainSoft home water filtration systems will taste noticeably better. So will your prepared foods. After all, water is the number one ingredient in your kitchen. You'll taste the difference every time you use water from your RainSoft drinking water system.

Home Water Treatment

With two premium drinking water systems, RainSoft water treatment delivers a higher quality and better tasting drinking water experience. Not only will the water from a RainSoft drinking water system in your glass taste distinctly better, but so will all of the food and beverages you make with it.

Ultrefiner reverse osmosis water systems are RainSoft's premier drinking water system. Using advanced RO technology, the Ultrefiner provides highly polished drinking water that filters out smaller particles that can be missed by less refined drinking water systems.

For out-of-the-way convenience, Hydrefiner drinking water systems deliver a continuous supply of clean, fresh water from right under your sink. Utilizing a compressed carbon-block filter, the Hydrefiner eliminates bad tastes and odors from home drinking water.

Locate a RainSoft Dealer near you.

Read what customers in your area are saying about RainSoft at RainSoft Reviews.

Prescription Drugs in Your Drinking Water? Find Out Here.

Prescription Drugs in Drinking Water
Reporter: Shannon Kantner | WILX.COM

Germs on a water fountain are no surprise, but what about drugs in the water?

"Most meds when they are taken are not completely absorbed by the body, they pass through unchanged," said Ron Melaragni, Adminstrative Director for Sparrow Pharmacy Plus. "They get into the water supply and cause pollution, even if it's minor."

In addition, there's the commonly held belief that people are supposed to flush leftover prescriptions down the toilet. Over the years that practice has taken its toll on wildlife, including fish with three eyes and two sets of reproductive organs, according to some studies.

"There is a lot of evidence that speaks to the residuals being in the receiving waters of the United States and the local community here," said Chad Gamble, Director of Public Service for the City of Lansing. "Now they're at very, very low levels, but we want to be on the front end of that. We want to be able to protect the environment."

Gamble said most waste water treatment facilities, including Lansing's, can't remove every leftover drug particle. That makes initiatives like the third annual Medication Disposal Event at the Capitol on Tuesday especially important.

"It's a source control issue, which is inviting people to take a little bit more time out of their day to dispose of their drugs when they're done using them in a safe and efficient manner," Gamble said.
This year more than 579 pounds of unwanted or expired medication was collected, which amounts to about $1 million worth.

At this point, experts say the flushing method hasn't made drinking water dangerous for humans yet. "But if this process continues, who knows what could happen," Melaragni said. "So, it's important to do it the right way, so it doesn't get in the water supply."

If you missed the Capitol's disposal event, there is a national one happening Sept. 29. There's also a new kit on the market that will soon be on pharmacy shelves for use in the home. It's just a little black plastic bag filled with a substance when mixed with warm water, neutralizes prescriptions - up to 45 pills or 6 ounces of liquid medicine can fit in it. Once it's mixed, you seal it, and throw it in the trash.

Pharmacisits also recommend using kitty litter or coffee grounds in a container with the prescriptions and dispose of them that way.

The Ingham County Sheriff's Office recently added a bin in their lobby where anyone can drop off old pills free of charge during normal business hours.

Questions About What's in Your Water - RainSoft Has Answers

RainSoft Water Facts

Maximum Contaminant Level Goals vs. Maximum Contaminant Levels

The environment has changed a lot in the last fifty years. Manufacturing and agricultural activities, along with our growing population, add an enormous amount of potentially hazardous materials to our environment. 

As a result, the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) and others have detected more than 700 different organic compounds in treated drinking-water supplies. 

To read more about water facts and contaminants go to RainSoft Water Facts.

To Request a Free In-Home Water Test visit RainSoft of Louisville Water Test.

RainSoft of Louisville

13010 Middleton Ind. Blvd. Ste. B
Louisville, KY 40223

(502) 244-9923

www.rainsoftoflouisville.com

Or locate a RainSoft Dealer near you.
To read what people are saying about RainSoft, check out RainSoft Reviews.