Archive for the 'Environmental Health' Category

Associated Press has found, in their recent investigation, drugs in tap water supplies of many major cities. Prescription drugs such as estrogen, sex hormones, radiation or chemotherapy prescriptions, painkillers, mood stabilizers, heart medicine, antibiotics and other drugs in tap water are a present threat.

Bottled water companies are not regulated, as long as it is bottled water, it can even come from a tap, as bottled water, is just that-bottled water. That means there are probably drugs in tap water, used by these companies, and sold to you, when you are assuming they would be safe or filtered. In fact, a new brand, NY Tap prides itself on just that, but New Yorks water supply contained heart medicine, antibiotics, estrogen, tranquilizers and mood stabilizers.

The EPA admits that there are no treatment plants for removing drugs in tap water, as it would be too costly. Although, studies have shown evolutionary changes in fish and wildlife over the past several years, no actions have been taken to remove drugs in tap water, as the public water suppliers are recycling sewage treatment water into tap water to conserve water.

Reclaimed water presently sits in a settling pool, where settlement of many things in the water, go to the bottom. Drug molecules and chemicals from such things as shampoo, soap and cleaning products may not break down or may sometimes counteract each other. There is no assurance of drugs in tap water being removed now or anytime in the near future.

Reverse osmosis and household filtration systems can remove drugs in tap water, and there are many affordable systems available. There are filtration systems that attach to your kitchen faucet, filters that attach to drinking bottles, where you can make your own bottled water. These are safe methods, to assure the removal of drugs in tap water.

Many public water supplies add chlorine for purification, which can make some chemicals or drugs more toxic. You may think that the government, EPA and other agencies are looking out for this danger, but the fact is- the Safety Water Act, designed for the publics safety, only tests for nitroglycerin and that is because it can be made into explosives. They do not test for any other drugs in tap water.

With a 12% increase in drug sales in the United States over the past 5 years, and an aging population, the problem is going to get worse. Now is the time for your own home water treatment options for removal of drugs in tap water. Some people are opting for whole house treatment options, as taking warm showers opens your pores and allows for chemical and drug absorptions. These systems can use reverse osmosis or other means to remove drugs in tap water.

Now is the time to take matters into our own hands, and it is an affordable, easy thing to give us peace of mind, by removing drugs in tap water, at our kitchen sink faucet, through use of a home water filtration system.

Histoplasmosis is a fungus that can infect an eye or a lung, and in a serious case, you can lose your eye or lung to this infection. Large accumulations of guano sometimes breed this fungus. Yes, it’s a fungus that develops in the excrements of the bats. Do you have a “bat problem” at your home or business office?

Bats provide a very helpful and necessary service. As the primary predator of nighttime insects, bats serve an important purpose in maintaining the balance of nature. One small brown bat can catch over 1000 mosquito-sized insects in an hour. Large brown bats prey on some of the insects most harmful to crops and gardens. Also, clean bat guano is one of the best fertilizers known.

However, even though we highly respect bats and all they do for the environment, it’s important to know and to understand that bats and humans are not meant to cohabit the same building or home. Bats do eat 1000’s of mosquitoes each night, but in your home they bring the risk of rabies, Histoplasmosis, Property Damage, and Bat Mites (often mistaken for bed bugs). That’s why bat control (humane, live, professional) services are sometimes needed. In a commercial setting, you can add liability, loss of customers, and depreciation. Think about that!

Since bats can eat their body weight in insects every night, they produce a significant amount of droppings, or guano. After having a successfully bat removal (exclusion, extermination) from your home or building, you may be concerned about the mess they left behind. Is it safe to leave it there? Is it enough just to sweep or vacuum up? Scattered droppings are not dangerous. They can be swept or vacuumed up. Piles of guano more than an inch deep could contain Histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis spores become air born when/if the piles are disturbed. If the accumulated guano is isolated in a wall, ceiling or seldom used attic – you may be fine leaving it alone. Over time, the guano will dry out, and the fungus will die – provided the bats do not return to keep adding moisture/new droppings and urine to the pile.

However, I would recommend getting some professional help. There are many companies specialized in commercial bat control (removal, exclusion). They will remove live bats from houses and commercial buildings. They do not harm the bats when performing an “exclusion” followed by a “bat proofing”. When needed, they also perform Histoplasmosis remediation and guano clean up.

There are several situations that call for bat guano clean up (histoplasmosis, danger, toxic, safe, disease), or Histoplasmosis remediation:

•Guano is located somewhere that people may disturb it.

•Remodel is planned in the area where guano is located.

•An odor persists after the bats have been excluded.

•People in the home or building are having respiratory problems.

•Commercial properties where liability is a concern.

If you find yourself into one of these situations, you can call the pest control bats technicians, which are trained to remove guano while minimizing the chances of spreading Histoplasmosis spores into the building. To protect themselves they will be wearing disposable clothing, eye protection and respirators with filters measuring one micron. The guano will be double bagged and taken to an appropriate disposal facility. Unless other specific arrangements are made, they will remove all guano that is deep enough to cause a concern. Scattered droppings may still remain. Finally fungicide is sprayed over the contaminated area to kill any lingering spores.

Guano removal is always best done after you/them get bats out (house, building, school, warehouse, attic). And some last piece of advice: it is safer, and thus less expensive, if the guano removal can be scheduled during the colder months of the year.