Pharmaceutical pollution is the latest environmental issue needing attention

The presence of active pharmaceutical ingredients in our lake and river water is an acute and increasing problem.

A Pollution Probe/Clean Water Foundation study recently found traces of painkillers, antibiotics, anti-depressants and worse in Canada's Great Lakes and the rivers that feed them, backing up previous research by Ontario's Environment Ministry and the US Geological Survey.

In addition to expired or unused pharmaceuticals flushed down the toilet by consumers (and, of course, those that end up in waste water through our urine and feces), a big part of the problem arises from pharmaceutical manufacturing companies discharging untreated waste into sewers and rivers, which is inexcusable, and represents a larger problem than had previously been assumed (and admitted). Municipal waste-water treatment plants are just unable to adequately deal with these compounds which, of course, consequently end up in our drinking water, to say nothing of their effects on aquatic wildlife. The problem, then, must be dealt with at source, both through better education of consumers, who still insist on flushing this stuff down the loo, but increasingly at the manufacturing level.

Granted it is not easy to deal with the chemicals that make up the huge amount of pharmaceuticals we consume each year. Pharmaceutical companies can dispose of compounds and contaminated liquids by boiling it away and incinerating it (yes, this contaminates the air to some extent, but it is still a much better option than throwing it in the lakes where we get our drinking water). However, this is inefficient and energy intensive, and most pharma companies are unwilling to spend money on it.

Other solutions do exist, though, like the proprietary technology of companies like Vancouver-based Axine Water Technologies, which can install automated drug-destroying water technologies right at the pharma companies' manufacturing facilities. It uses electrochemical oxidation (no chemicals are required) to break up the harmful compounds into harmless trace gases like oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide.

But this too will cost money, and so what is needed - as usual - is government regulation to force Big Pharma to at least pretend to be responsible corporate citizens. And that requires political will, which appears to be sadly lacking.