10 Surprising Things You Should Never Pour Down the Drain

Medication

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Many people think flushing medication is safe, but this is a mistake. Pills do not dissolve completely and can pollute the water supply, creating health and environmental risks.

Flushed medicines can remain whole or partly dissolve, contaminating water sources. Water treatment plants are not designed to filter out pharmaceuticals, so traces of drugs can linger in drinking water and the environment, harming aquatic life and people.

Medicine in water can disrupt animal hormones, causing health and population issues. It can also add to antibiotic resistance by affecting bacteria.