According to a March 9 AP article, a vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — were found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.

Although the AP report assured readers that only trace amounts of the drugs were found, it is still a little off-putting to think about what we are dumping in our water. After all, what may be nothing more than trace amounts to us could prove lethal to our environment. For example, one can’t help but wonder how these floating pharmaceutical bits are affecting fish and other inhabitants of our water.

I’m not sure what the solution is. People are of course going to throw away their prescription medicine bottles, so how do we prevent those bottles (and subsequent synthetic chemicals) from ending up in our drinking supply?

One in five respondents to an informal, nonscientific online survey in the science journal Nature said they have used drugs like Ritalin and Adderall to boost their brain power, according to a CNN Health article.

1,400 people in 60 countries were polled, and the majority of those who responded said they worked in biology, physics, medicine or education. Respondents said they took the drugs to improve their concentration.

Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin are prescribed to children and adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD and ADHD), but they also enhance focus in people who don’t have ADD or ADHD. Subsequently, these drugs are a hot commodity among college students and adults with demanding jobs. Articles in the past have also indicated that many mothers steal their children’s ADD meds to have energy and stay thin.

Once again, our society seeks instant gratification in pill form.

Still, I’d almost venture to say that it’s better for adults to be taking these drugs than young children. I have babysit kids on Ritalin, and there just seems to be something inherently wrong with dosing small children up on powerful prescription drugs. They are taking a stimulant drug that has similar effects to amphetamines, at a time when their brains are going through crucial development. I’d say you have to be phenomenally unfocused to merit that kind of risk.