How Medicine Makes the Environment Sick
Millions of people’s lives have been saved and their quality of life has improved thanks to modern medicine. However, the ecosystem has experienced unforeseen effects as a result of this advancement. The medical sector is causing ecological damage that endangers the health of the world through everything from the manufacture of pharmaceuticals to inappropriate drug disposal.
In this blog, we will explore how medicine impacts the environment and what steps can be taken to mitigate these effects.
How much greenhouse gas does the pharmaceutical industry generate?
An estimated 52 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalents are released each year by the pharmaceutical business worldwide, which represents about 4.5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
The full lifespan of a pharmaceutical must be taken into account, including the worldwide supply chain, which includes sourcing chemicals from all over the world, manufacturing them, packaging them, distributing them, and finally disposing of them. We know that the production of chemicals and their transformation into pharmaceuticals accounts for around 18% of the total carbon emissions linked to the health care sector.
Is high carbon emission an inescapable aspect of pharmaceutical products?
We can lower the carbon footprint of many drugs without sacrificing their effectiveness, even though some may need components or production techniques that result in high emissions.
For example, most metered dose inhalers for conditions like asthma use propellant systems that produce the equivalent of 20 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions per inhaler. Newer propulsion systems that use things like dry powder produce emissions equivalent to one to four kilograms of carbon dioxide.
Medical Plastics and Non-Biodegradable Waste:
1.Plastic Pollution: Because of contamination issues, the majority of medical plastics cannot be recycled.
2.Medical waste is piling up in landfills and the oceans, destroying habitat and harming species.
The healthcare industry relies heavily on single-use plastics, from syringes to packaging. While these items are essential for hygiene and safety, their environmental impact is staggering.
Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water:
Drinking water reservoirs have been discovered to contain up to 5% of pharmaceutical components that wastewater treatment is unable to eliminate. The Environmental Protection Agency is striving to identify pharmaceutical concentrations in streams and the resulting health risks, but there have not been enough research on the effects of pharmaceuticals in drinking water. Given how much water we consume, the presence of compounded medications in drinking water is probably harmful to human health.
Life Cycle of a Pharmaceutical Drug:
Imagine a bustling laboratory filled with advanced scientific equipment. It’s chugging along, producing mass amounts of powders, pills and elixirs. This is where pharmaceutical drugs are brought into the world. The manufactured drugs are marketed through medical journals and mainstream media. Pharmaceutical representatives act as liaisons between companies and consumers, connecting with health care professionals and the general public to distribute the drugs around the world.
The medicine winds up in the hands of a customer who wants to use it to cure headaches or cold symptoms. The medication is administered to the cells, tissues, and organs after it has entered the body in one way or another. The medication is digested gradually, and any waste that is not absorbed by the body is released into the drain.
Before being released into the environment, the pharmaceutical-laden effluent is cleansed in a wastewater treatment plant after passing through sewer pipes. To remove possible contaminants, treatment plants employ aeration, settling, chlorination, and digesting. Pharmaceuticals are not completely eliminated by these procedures, and any remaining pollutants are discharged into rivers where they may find their way to a variety of environmentally delicate locations.
What other aspects of pharmaceutical production account for its high environmental impact?
More is contributed than would be expected from other businesses producing goods of comparable weight and size. Single-use, non-recyclable plastics are used in the production process, and they are constructed and manufactured in such a way that recycling them is nearly hard. It could be better.
Contaminated Ecosystems:
Water released from treatment facilities has the potential to reach aquatic habitats such as rivers, lakes, and oceans in addition to reservoirs for drinking water. The artificial compounds included in medications have a tremendous impact on the species that live in and near these habitats. For instance, male fish may become feminized due to estrogen from birth control tablets, which would have a detrimental effect on reproduction and population number. Pharmaceutical chemicals can also be absorbed by aquatic plants. Potentially hazardous medications can ascend the food chain by being consumed by herbivores, which in turn are consumed by predators.
Green Alternatives:
Nowadays, there is a medication for almost any ailment, and environmentalists are concerned about the consequences of the expanding pharmaceutical sector. For instance, the popularity of GLP-1 weight loss medications is contaminating water treatment plants with waste products that have not been studied for their effects on the environment.
Think about the environment before you pop a pill. There are plenty of eco-friendly options to treat an array of ailments ranging from a stuffy nose to diagnosed depression. The wonders of natural cold remedies are no secret, and the healing power of essential oils has no limit. Learn more about green birth control methods and find environmentally responsible seasonal allergy treatments.
Of course, some health needs require something more powerful than a home remedy. Switching to a homeopathic doctor who encourages natural healing and prescribes natural medications is the best, greenest option.
Additionally, look for pharmaceutical take-back programs in your area where unwanted medications can be burned or disposed of in some other way if you have expired or unwanted medications. Read the FDA’s drug disposal rules before disposing of medications in your household garbage if a take-back program is not an option.
Although medicine is an effective means of enhancing human health, its use must be controlled to prevent environmental damage. We can safeguard human health and the environment by using sustainable methods in pharmaceutical manufacturing, healthcare operations, and medication disposal.
We can strive toward a future in which medicine treats illnesses without endangering the environment as long as people, governments, and businesses take action. Now is the time to take action to protect our environment for future generations.