Recent tests show trace elements of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water of every major metro area in the United States.  Consumer waste of pharmaceutical products is the biggest contributor to this problem.  But hospitals are a part of the problem, too.  Over 250,000,000 pounds of waste drugs every year go down the drain or in a landfill.  We do not know the long term effects of this contamination.  We do know that water treatment plants in the US are NOT designed to remove pharmaceutical compounds.  Research has found these wastes have a negative impact on our environment, on drinking water, and on aquatic life.