Reader's Response (Draft 4)

In the article "Pharmaceutical Disposal", Burch (2015) discussed the rising concern of water pollution in United States due to the improper ways of drug disposal. In addition, Burch also mentioned the act of "flushing unwanted or unused medications" as a factor due to common practices and absence of drug filtration in "wastewater treatment plants". Although the effect on humans is unclear, the negative effect on "fish and aquatic life" has been proven. However, the severity of the issue is still uncertain due to the lack of regulations and/or policies in place. The author states that the problem of “flushing drugs” might be resolved by providing "access to safe and convenient pharmaceutical disposal options".

I agree with the author that improper disposal of pharmaceutical products is indeed a rising concern as a factor of water contamination. However, the author focused on it as a key issue and did not explore other contributing factors. I believe that there are contaminants from other sources which would require more recognition.

It is certainly true that improper disposal of pharmaceutical products is one of the factors contributing to water contamination, even in drinking supplies.  However, the article only considered "pharmaceutical disposal" by public and healthcare facilities. It did not include those of industrial waste even though a significant amount of waste enters the Great Lakes daily. For example, Bienkowski and Environmental Health News (2013) reported that "More than 1,400 wastewater treatment plants in the United States and Canada discharge 4.8 billion gallons of treated effluent into the Great Lakes basin every day" when they discussed about the findings of a study conducted by the International Joint Commission. In addition to the figures reported, the drug content from the waste will also accumulate in the water over time. Therefore, there is a need to recognize industrial waste as one of the contributing factors of water contamination.

In the article, adverse effects on the aquatic life were also mentioned. According to Shah (2010), toxicity research on wildlife is generally studied on aquatic species. However, I feel that we should also explore the chain effect in the other areas. There are no proper definitions as to which type of species or organisms in the ecosystem would provide an accurate representation of wildlife, since all of them have different behaviour patterns, anatomy etc. As mentioned by Kidd et al. (2014), "small-scale studies focusing solely on direct effects are likely to underestimate the true environmental impacts". Even though the negative effects on the aquatic life are proven, I feel that it should only serve as an indicator and reference while we continue to research the effects on the ecosystem. The sole inclusion of the impact on aquatic life with no elaboration does not reflect the severity and extent of the effects and does not inform the community of it. 

In the article, Burch also mentioned that "a critical part of the solution is to STOP flushing drugs" because it is a "highly prevalent and preventable source of pharmaceutical pollution." There is no doubt that it is a valid point. However, the proposed solution failed to consider involuntary factors such as pollution due to excretion and usage of personal care products. Medicines taken are not always metabolized fully and are usually excreted out of the human body. In addition, topical medications and care products applied are also introduced into the waste through bathing. Daughton and Ruhoy (2013) also mentioned that "excretion via urine and fecal material" is the main contributor of "Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)" contamination found in the environment. Perhaps it would be more effective to advisce pharmacists, and other relevant medical positions, on the reduction or optimal prescribing of medicines to patients instead. There would be lesser residual medications being excreted, which would then serve as a plausible solution in reducing contamination via the involuntary secondary route. In addition, an alternative solution would be to research on ways to improve our current infrastructure. For example, researching on systems which will allow wastewater treatment plants to remove unwanted pharmaceutical impurities, or methods which will simplify the manufacturing process. 

Legislation was mentioned as a counter measure in the article. It is worth noting that even though the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates water pollutants with The Clean Water Act (CWA), the list does not include medicinal products (Cuevas, 2011). Perhaps improvements should be made to the regulation. Even though pharmaceutical products serve as a remedy to illness, they can also become an undesired toxin. In comparison to United States, there is stricter control in Singapore. Pollution control is regulated under the authority of the National Environmental Agency (NEA). Different factors are considered and cross-referenced as a whole, for example, the control of soil pollution is considered with the regulation of water pollution. In addition, NEA considers pharmaceutical and pathogenic wastes under their "list of toxic industrial wastes", along with many others.

In general, this article served well as a general introduction to water pollution by pharmaceutical factors. It included the main idea of contamination due to direct disposal, though it lacked insight into other factors beside the given point. Although it was sufficient to inform the public of the dangers by improper “pharmaceutical disposal”, the page could be build up with information of other relevant factors.

References:

Bienkowski, B., & Environmental Health News (2013, November 22). Only half of drugs removed by sewage treatment. Scientific American. Retrieved from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-half-of-drugs-removed-by-sewage-treatment/

Burch, L.W. (2015, March 4). Pharmaceutical disposal. Citizens Campaign for the Environment. Retrieved from: http://www.citizenscampaign.org/campaigns/pharmaceutical-disposal.asp

Cuevas, G. (2011, February 8) From therapeutic drugs to toxic contaminants: Pharmaceutical pollution in the water and strategies to regulate its impact. Columbia Journal of Environmental Law. Retrieved from: http://www.columbiaenvironmentallaw.org/articles/from-therapeutic-drugs-to-toxic-contaminants-pharmaceutical-pollution-in-the-water-and-strategies-to-regulate-its-impact

Daughton, C.G., & Ruhoy, I.S. (2013, January 15) Lower-dose prescribing: Minimizing “side effects” of pharmaceuticals on society and the environment. Science of The Total Environment, 443, p324–337. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969712013927

Kidd, K.A., Paterson, M.J., Rennie, M.D., Podemski, C.L., Findlay, D.L., Blanchfield, P.J., & Liber, K. (2014, October 13). Direct and indirect responses of a freshwater food web to a potent synthetic oestrogen. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, B 2014 369 20130578; DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0578. Retrieved from: http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/369/1656/20130578

National Environmental Agency. (n.d.) The Schedule. Retrieved from: http://www.nea.gov.sg/docs/default-source/anti-pollution-radiation-protection/soil-pollution/20100505422108755681.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Shah S. (2010, April 15) As pharmaceutical use soars, drugs taint water and wildlife. Yale Environment 360. Retrieved from: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/as_pharmaceutical_use_soars_drugs_taint_water_and_wildlife/2263/

Inspiration (Draft)

The common figure for inspiration are often our mothers. The beautiful lady who went through pain to bring you to this world and raised you, never complaining about the sacrifices she had to make. However, I feel that someone who inspires you would make you think “because of this person, I want to do/become ____” and for the feelings I have towards my mother and family would be of emotions and filial piety.

The person who inspires me is my karate sensei. He strive to pass on the knowledge and experience he gained over the years, and the way of the art passed to him when he went over to Japan to learn from the head of our style. Sensei not only taught us the importance of traditional Japanese budo, but also patience, strength, perseverance and other important virtues. Everyone is also a family, be it inside or outside of the dojo.

Thirty years of dedication to teaching the way of the art, and more than that towards learning. Even at his age, he train every day without fail. Inspired by his devotion, I want to become stronger, and be a better leader when I guide my juniors. As a disciple of karate-do, I have gained numerous insights as well. It is not something which is only applicable in martial art but towards our everyday life. The courage and fearlessness I have gained allowed me to face the encounters and predicament in life with fierce determination.

As mentioned by the late Grandmaster Chojun Miyagi, founder of Goju-ryu, “The ultimate aim of karate-do was to build character, conquer human misery, and find spiritual freedom.”

There is still a long way to go.

This is just the start of my learning journey.

“The Role of Peer and Tutor Feedback."

It has been about two months since we started SIE2016. Frankly speaking, at first I thought that it would be similar to the “Report Writing and Presentation” elective which I had to undertake in polytechnic a few years ago. However, it proved me wrong during the first few tutorial classes. Unlike the writing modules I have taken in the past, the current class incorporate the use of peer feedback. Although tutor feedback would serve as a more effective guidance, I feel that the usage of peer evaluate allowed us to receive a diverse opinions and suggestions. In addition, the system not only place us to be responsible for our own writing and self-assessment, but also the work of our peers. Furthermore, it allowed us to explore various writing styles as everyone express their words differently.

While the module had added on to our current workload, what I had presumed to be time-consuming had actually changed part of my writing habit. I used to only check my writing during the process of crafting my work, and submit it after just a quick look through of the final piece. The frequent writing and evaluation caused me to be more meticulous in my work now.

Besides improving our writing and critical thinking skills, I feel that peer feedback and group assignments also enhanced our social skills and the way we interact with others. Both factors not only consider our learning process, but also gives us more opportunities to work as a team instead.

Overall, the module allowed me to gain different skills set which I can incorporate in other modules and outside of academic. In fact, it has already been a help for the study journals and report assignments we currently have for this trimester’s modules. 

Reflection on Presentation (November 5, 2015)

Voice projection, clear articulation, being confident and having all the necessary eye contact are problems which I certainly do not face while I am doing sports or conducting trainings. However, the same could not be said for presentations. I have to admit that I was stressed up for this presentation as it has been about two years since my last presentation, and having to prepare for it within two days certainly added the load to it. Perhaps I should have been less tense and deliver my ideas more enthusiastically, as there seem to be a lack of passion in my tone.

As for what I have done well, I feel that I was speaking loud and clear enough for this presentation. In addition, I used the visual aids on the slides as prompts instead of holding onto cue cards or notes. Although the content could have been enriched with more information, I feel that the relevant points I presented was organized and had a nice flow.

Overall, there are several aspects which I need to improve. As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect”, and perhaps that is the key factor to achieving a better presentation.