What Are You Putting Down Your Drain?

If you think your local water treatment plant has the ability to make absolutely sure that the water supply coming into your home is 100% safe, you might be surprised to know that they don't have all the capabilities that you think they do.

Do you throw your old medications down your toilet?  Reply in the comments.

The Wrong Way To Dispose Of Old Medications

Besides the overuse of pesticides that pollute the ground, our air, and our food crops, probably one of the worse contributors to poisoning our water supply is when people dump prescription medications down their household drains - especially their toilets.  

Most people dump because they don't need or want the drugs anymore. Others do it because they think it's the safest way to get rid of them. 

Drug handouts explain how to dispose of medications 

The Rules Have Changed

For years, drug companies stopped offering a return policy for discarded drugs.  So they told hospitals, pharmacies, and other medical facilities that it was acceptable to dump drugs down the drain. That's how the public came to do the same thing. If it was good enough for medical facilities, then it must be OK for regular people to do. 

It was, but back then, it was a common belief these pills and capsules completely dissolved and disappeared into the system.  It was also believed that water treatment plants would extract them when they treated the water. As long as the tap water came out very clear and odor-free, dumping medications down the drain seemed harmless.   

That's partly true. Most of the drugs do dissolve, but they don't disappear.  Trace amounts remain behind. If you multiply just two drugs by the number of people living in one small city, the trace amounts are now astronomical.  

Infected Sea Life And Food Supply

Federal, state and local water authorities perform various quality tests throughout each day. After years of dumping, they found that these medications - whether or not they had dissolved - still remained in the wastewater. Some is washed out into the ocean, where fish and other sea creatures absorb them.  Scientists attribute the dumping of medications to the different kinds of anomalies in fish, in our environment, and in our food supply.

Click on picture to enlarge; check out the findings by scientists

 

Although the EPA has guidelines to say that certain percentages are "acceptable" in our water supply, laboratories found excessive amounts of antidepressants, steroids, contraceptives, and pain medications were present.  When they tested animals and sea life that were exposed, they have found high amounts of hormones that created mutant fish (with both male and female sex organs), neurological disorders as well as physical changes.

Scientists say if the public continues to dump medications down their drains which leads into the water supply, the drug residue in the filtration systems at water treatment facilities will continue to build up.  

Metformin - from an article on US NEWS 

 

What To Do With Old Medications

The most convenient and safest way to dispose of old medications is by taking advantage of bulk disposal day so meds are taken to a central location.  Sometimes communities will sponsor the placement of drop boxes around town so authorities can arrange for proper disposal.  

Many cities place disposal boxes in pharmacies

If it is not convenient, or if you are homebound and must dispose of your medications on your own, the FDA recommends that you make the medications as unattractive and as unappetizing as possible so animals, homeless people, and children don't come across them when they are trash-picking. 


Mix the pills up with something like bleach and garden dirt, in "used" cat litter or "used" coffee grounds (without crushing the tablets themselves). Then place the mixture into a sealed plastic bag.  For added security, you can carefully pour some household bleach or ammonia in the bag so the smell chases snoops away.


This way if anyone does find your old pills in the trash, they won't want to use them - especially if they are mixed up in "used" cat litter and ammonia!

Dispose in used cat litter, add bleach or ammonia to repel.

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Did You Know? How To Test Your Home For Radon

Radon in your home increases your cancer risk

When it comes to reducing your cancer risk, one important step could be right under your nose, or below your feet. 



Getting your home tested for radon can help protect you and your family from a key cause of lung cancer.


According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each year about 21,000 deaths can be attributed to exposure to radon.  



While that is nowhere near the 480,000 deaths a year caused by smoking, it is still significant. 


Radon is also the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.




WHAT IS RADON?

Radon is a gas that occurs naturally outdoors in harmless amounts. It is produced from the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks and sometimes becomes concentrated in homes built on top of soil that has natural uranium deposits. 




WHERE IS RADON?

Radon can enter buildings through cracks in floors or walls, construction joints, or gaps in foundations around pipes, wires or pumps. Radon levels are usually highest in the basement or crawl space and that area is where radon testing is recommended.


When radon gas is breathed in, it enters the lungs, exposing them to small amounts of radiation. This may damage the cells in the lining of the lungs and increase a person's risk of lung cancer. 




HEALTH RISKS

The risk of lung cancer is higher in those who have lived for many years in a radon-contaminated house.



The lung cancer risk from radon is much lower than that from smoking. 


However, exposure to the combination of radon gas and cigarette smoke creates a greater risk for lung cancer than either factor alone.



Because radon gas can’t be seen or smelled, the only way to know whether it is a problem in your home is to test for it.  



A Citizen’s Guide to Radon, produced by the EPA, explains how to test your home for radon easily and inexpensively, and what to do if your levels are too high.



TESTING

You can hire a professional tester, or save money and do it yourself with a kit you buy at a hardware store or online. 


Follow the instructions for leaving the kit in your house for the required number of days. Then mail it to a lab and wait for them to send you the results.


If you find out that your radon levels are high, you can take steps to lower the amount of radon in your home. 


The most common method is to have a vent pipe system and fan installed, which pulls radon from beneath the house and vents it to the outside.


It is also possible for radon to enter your home through your water supply, though this is a much lower risk than radon entering your home through the soil. 


If you have a private well, you can have it tested for radon. If the levels are high, you can have the water supply treated so that the radon is removed before it enters your home. 



COST


As with most home repairs, the cost of reducing radon in your home can vary widely, depending on how your home is built (whether you have a basement, crawlspace, or neither) and what kind of system you need.


If you think you have been exposed, you should get tested.  There are no widely available medical tests to measure whether you have been exposed to radon. 


But if you think that you might have been, talk with your doctor about whether you should get regular health checkups and tests to look for possible signs of lung cancer. 


Possible symptoms include shortness of breath, a new or worsening cough, pain or tightness in the chest, hoarseness, or trouble swallowing.


If you smoke and you know you have been exposed to high levels of radon, it’s very important to quit smoking. The combination of cigarette smoking and radon exposure raises the risk of lung cancer more than either smoking or radon exposure alone.


For some people exposed to radon through their jobs, like uranium miners, millers and transporters, the US government has established the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program. It offers compensation for lung cancer and some other lung diseases to people who qualify.


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Did You Know? Street Signs

The placement of the exit sign gives valuable information to the driver

 If the exit sign is side by side another exit sign with no mileage to say how far the exit is, the sign on the left indicates the exit is on the left and the sign on the right indicates the exit is on the right.

If both signs show mileage, for example, one says "Exit in 2 miles" and the other sign says "Exit in 3 miles," both exits are on the right. 

However, the sign with the earliest mileage of 2 miles will be first on the right, and the sign that says 3 miles will be after the first exit.

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SOLAR LIGHTS - TIN FOIL

Wrap foil around top of solar lights to improve brightness

If you take some sheets of tin foil and wrap them around the part of your solar lights where the light shines out, you can make your solar lights shine brighter.  Try it out!

Tape Measures - Did You Know?

Why do tape measures have a hole at the end?

When the tape measure is being used by one person, the hole is to be hooked over a nail so the tape measure will stay in place.

Hey! Protect Pets and Children from the Heat!

It summertime in the city and it's hot in the car.  Protect your pets and children by 1) remembering that you have at least one of them and 2) keep them cool in the space that they occupy. That pertains not only inside your house but also in your car.  

Pet safety in the heat is just as important as child safety

There is nothing more heartbreaking that a news report about a child who was left in a car seat in the back seat of a car or a careless pet owner who left their animal in the car with barely a cracked window.  

When it comes to pet safety, it isn't just limited to your car. So here are some tips to help you out.

PET SAFETY

• Walk your animal in early morning and later in the evening after dinner.  Steer clear of walking your pet in the middle of the day when temperatures are at their highest.  

• Take breaks in the shade if you are out for more than 20 minutes. 

• Keep a 'damp to wet' hand towel around your own neck to keep yourself cool and put a 'damp to wet' bath towel in a large Ziploc bag to take along for your pet.  Don't forget to grab a bottle of cold water and a small plastic bowl with you every time you take your pet for a walk so your pet can get a drink too.  The cold drinking water cools from the inside. The dampness of the bath towel will cool your pet from the outside. Your pet needs both if they are ever overheated.

Know the numbers and what they mean!

• Know the signs of distress:  If you pet starts to pant excessively, they are overheating so get in the shade and give them a drink from your bottled water, then head for home. 

• If it is above 100 degrees outside, either stay inside or if your pet must go out, then keep your walk to under five minutes. 

• If your pet "feels" hot or measures with a body temperature exceeding 102 degrees and if he does not cool down with air conditioning, a pet bath or lots of cool liquids, it's time to get to the vet. 

Leaving a window open for your pet is an invitation for someone to steal him.

• If your pet's gums are dry, your pet is overheated. Their gums should be slimy and slick.

• An animal's foot pads will feel heat before any other part of their body. Either put foot pads or insulated socks on them before you take them outside OR delay the walk until the cooler hours of the day.  

• If your animal's feet are hot to the touch, use a wet towel to cool them down or let them stand in ankle-high bath water or pool water for a few minutes.

• If you have to go inside a building for any length of time and you have to take your pet with you for any reason, bring along a friend to sit in the car with him until you return. 

• Whenever you have a list of errands to run, leave your pet at home. 

CHILD CAR SAFETY 

• "Look Before You Lock" - Every time you get out of your vehicle, open the back door (or hatch if you don't have a back door) to check over your whole vehicle before walking away.  Make sure no child (or pet) has been left behind.

Protect the most precious thing in your life - your children.

• If you are in the habit of allowing your children to play with your keys, give them an old set of keys or a pretend set of keys to play with.  Children will instinctively pick up your keys because they are familiar with them they to crawl inside the car or trunk when you are not aware.  

• Keep this 3-point checklist on a Post-It note and tack it on your dashboard, on your handicap hang tag, on your rear view mirror, the center of your steering wheel, or on your drop down sun visor. Do the three steps every time you are leaving your vehicle and before you lock it. They are:   1. check back seat. 2. check car seat 3. check trunk

People remember their phones but forget they have a child.

• Give yourself a reason to go in the back seat every time you use your vehicle. Behind the driver's seat on the floor, place your purse, cellphone, laptop, jacket -- something that you'll need to take out of the vehicle with you, so that you have to open the back door to get it out every time that you park. 

Hot Weather Safety Tips

• Keep a LARGE stuffed animal in your car and put it in the front seat with you after you have put your child in the car seat. Seeing the stuffed animal will remind you that your child is in the back in his car seat.

Keep a stuffed animal in the front seat to remind
yourself you have a child in the car seat

• Put a policy in place with all child care providers that you will call when the child will not be attending. Likewise, if the child does not show up as expected, that the facility should call you to be sure the child is safely at home.  

• As a matter of safety, check the inside of your vehicle before you get in, no matter if your car is garaged, in a driveway or in a regular parking space, and regardless  if you just got out of the car ten minutes ago. People do strange things to their pets and children - like forgetting they left them in cars, and strange people do even stranger things to your pets and children - like stealing them out of cars.

• Don't use your pet as a reminder of which car is yours in a crowded parking lot. Leave your pet at home. There are other ways to find your car:  use your remote to find your car, hang something unique from the rear view mirror, put a funky bumper sticker on the fender, or buy a colorful windshield sun protector so you know which car is yours.

You can easily spot your car when it has a unique sun cover.

• Don't leave a child of any age in a car with the doors locked. Anyone can say they are locked out, get a code to unlock your doors and steal your child. If you can't take your child inside a building with you, leave them at home. Get a neighbor to watch them for you and make it snappy while you are out.

• Some people crack a window and think that is good enough for a pet, then it is good enough for a child.  Neither is correct.  

• Having a child is a responsibility, just as having a pet is a responsibility. Start making arrangements for alternate caregivers to help out in a pinch so you aren't leaving a child in the car for any reason.  

• If a child is asleep and you hesitate to take them out of the vehicle to go inside any building with you because you fear waking them up, get over the hesitation and take the sleeping child out of the car.  A child can always go back to sleep, but you can't replace a child who has died from being left in a hot car.  If it is not possible to take a child inside a building with you and that's your reason for leaving them in the car, leave them at home with a responsible adult or ask someone at your appointment to look after the child until you have completed your business.  

• If you ever think your child is missing, before you call 911, go check the inside of your vehicle (all passenger compartments and trunk). Children might lock the doors if they see a stranger approach. Newer model cars self-lock when the driver gets out of the vehicle. 

• Be aware at all times who and what is inside your vehicle. Anyone can get in your car or take something (or someone) out of your car in parking lots, gas stations, and shopping centers.

People forget their children in the car because the child fell asleep.

• ANYTIME that you see a child alone in a vehicle, call 911 immediately. If the child appears to be asleep, overly hot or sick, break a window or damage door handles and get them out as fast as possible. Then, stay with the vehicle until police arrive.  The same goes for pets.  

• There are 11 US states that have the "Good Samaritan" law which gives citizens the LEGAL right to use any means necessary (smash windows, damage door handles, etc.) to save a distressed animal or child. They are:  Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Indiana, Colorado, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin. In Canada, England and Australia, it is illegal to break windows or do damage to vehicles when animals or children are locked unattended inside a vehicle.  

• Know the signs: If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, immediately call 911. Warning signs of hyperthermia include red, hot and moist or dry skin; no sweating; a strong rapid pulse or a slow weak pulse; nausea or acting strangely.

This is a growing epidemic. Please check your car so you aren't
leaving behind a child.

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Awesomely Abandoned

VW BUG IN CANCUN

A VW Bug sculpture on display under water in Cancun

This little VW Bug is part of an underwater museum in Cancun.  For those who don't have the courage or the ability to dive or snorkel, there is also the option of seeing it through glass bottom boats. 



Underwater, there are over 500 sculptures to view.  This VW sculpture is a life-sized replica of the Classic Volkswagen Beetle which houses marine life as well as being entertaining for divers.

RUSSIAN SHIPWRECK  IN THE RED SEA

Shipwreck in the Red Sea that may have been a spy ship

There were several shipwrecks in the Red Sea but this particular shipwreck looks like it may have been what is referred to as the "Russian Wreck."  It was discovered back in 1988 and treasure hunters think it is the fishing trawler named Khanka.  It is believed that the Russians used fishing trawlers for surveillance and communication.  There was a lot of communication equipment, electronic devices and batteries found on board, so it was most likely used as a spy ship.

The HMS Ontario sank in 1780

The HMS Ontario, a British warship that sank in 1780, is the oldest British warship to have been found in the Great Lakes.  It was discovered mostly intact between Niagara, New York and Rochester, New York in 2008.  The ship sank during a storm and about 130 men lost their lives.  


Jim Kennard started searching for the ship 35 years earlier but was not successful until he teamed up with Dan Scoville, another hunter who was searching for sunken vessels.  Together, it only took them three years to find this ship.

The SS America ran aground in the Canary Islands

Built in 1940, the SS America was mostly a passenger ship and had gone by several different names up until the wreck, which occurred in 1994.  



In 1941, during a period of time when the ship was used by the Navy, there were two Nazi spies aboard among the crew.  They were part of the Duquesne Spy Ring and were later convicted, along with 31 other agents when the FBI uncovered them.  It was the largest espionage conviction in United States History.  



In 1994, on what was supposed to be a 100-day journey, they ran into a storm and the ship went aground just off of the Canary Islands. It eventually broke in two.

The Dixon Cove Wreck is partially underwater in Honduras

The Dixon Cove Wreck occurred in the 1970s, and according to one of many rumors, it was partially caused by a storm that pushed it into the channel so it was stranded there.  


The ship was supposedly carrying wood. In an effort to save the ship, they tried unloading it. It was later retrieved by pillagers.  


Another rumor claims that they were carrying marble.  Still another rumor claims that both the Dixon Cove and another ship (that is also wrecked there)  caught on fire and were abandoned.  It has been said that both ships were part of the Nicaraguan Revolution.

1911 photo of abandoned mining town

In 1845, a large amount of silver was discovered in this little town of Silver Islet but efforts to mine the silver were near impossible due to weather conditions and the tumultuous waters of Lake Superior.  


They fought against storms, tidal waves, and ice surges all to no avail until decades later, the miners were finally able to retrieve the silver (worth about $3 million) by building a breakwater of rock and concrete that was able to hold back the raging water.  


In 1883, all operations ceased due to water-filled shafts and the lack of funds for fuel to keep the furnaces going.

Lucy The Elephant has been a tourist stop since the 1880's 

This enormous elephant-shaped building is named Lucy and originally had six stories when it was built back in 1881. It was called Elephant Bazaar and had winding stairs that led up to the howdah, the seat where you would ride an elephant.  


Lucy endured many disasters including a fire during a period of time when the building was used as a tavern.  During one of these disasters, Lucy's howdah got blown off.  By 1960, it had been so neglected that the city condemned it.  


When a new developer bought Lucy and wanted to have her removed, a committee formed to save and restore her.  After being abandoned for many years, today she is back in operation and fully restored. 

Once a luxury hotel, Halcyon Hall became part of Bennett College in New York
but was demolished in 2014

Built in 1890, Halcyon Hall started out as a luxury hotel for wealthy clientele with five stories and two hundred rooms.  Unfortunately, the hotel didn't do as well as planned and was closed down in 1901.  


In 1907, a school teacher from New York bought it and used it as a school for girls. More buildings were added, which eventually led to it becoming Bennett Junior College.  


By the 1970s, it began sinking into debt as more co-ed colleges were popping up.  In 1977, it went bankrupt and was abandoned shortly after.  


Despite being placed on the National Register for Historic Places, it was demolished in 2014.  

Sunken boats create a safe harbor for smaller boats

These ships look like they are sitting on the surface of the water of this beautiful island, but the truth is they were sunken there on purpose on Moreton Island in order to create a safe harbor for smaller boats on the island. That explains why they are lined up the way they are.  


These old boats dating back to 1963 were steam dredges and barges that were no longer in use.  At the request of a group of boat owners, these old wrecks were placed in the water.

Dome houses that were abandoned because of weather

Retired oil producer Bob Lee built these circular homes in 1980 in Cape Romano, located near Naples, Florida.  They were actually very beautiful when they were first built before hurricanes wreaked havoc on them.  


They used to have windows all around which gave a beautiful circular view of the beach.   The houses were fully solar-powered and self-sustaining.  


In 2005, they were sold to John Tosto right before Hurricane Wilma arrived which caused considerable damage not only to the dome houses but also washed away much of the coastline.  Now the sea has completely taken the houses over and the only way they can be reached is by boat.

An abandoned home in Oregon

An abandoned home in Boyd, Oregon is just one of the homes left empty after Boyd was un-incorporated in 1955.  Boyd is now a ghost town.  



The Great Depression had much to do with the demise of the town; especially since the town was already struggling from low wheat prices.  Businesses couldn't succeed without visitors coming into the area.  


The ghost town has many old dilapidated outhouses.  

Once the site of St Anne's Asylum, Atkins Hall Apartments are now mostly abandoned

Back in the mid-1800s, Atkins Hall Apartments was once St. Anne's mental asylum. It was originally three stories high and three blocks long, with men living on one side and women living on the other side.  



There were also other buildings such as a gate lodge and the Church of Ireland.  About half of this extremely long complex was renovated into apartments but the rest is still mostly abandoned.  Some people might find it creepy living in an apartment where mentally ill patients once resided.

Mir Diamond Mine in Eastern Siberia, Russia

The Mir Diamond Mine is an incredible treasure located in the city of Mirny, Eastern Siberia, Russia where diamonds were literally spilling out of the pit from 1957 to 2001.  The mine was finally closed down in 2011. 


Mir Diamond Mine is one of the World’s largest man-made holes and is referred to as the “Navel of the Earth.” 

What is amazing is how a place that looks so deserted could produce diamonds that made many miners rich beyond their wildest dreams. 

Abandoned theater inside Norwich State Hospital in Norwich Connecticut 

Norwich State Hospital treated both the criminally insane and patients who were mentally unstable.  It was new and innovative for its day when the hospital first opened in 1904 with only 95 patients. 

As new buildings were added on for dedicated recreation space, it grew to over 1,000 patients by 1915.  By 1955, there were 3,186 patients.  

The hospital was unlike any other. Recreation areas, like this theater, were added on, housed in separate buildings that were connected by underground tunnels.   

All good things come to an end. Investigations of the staff for reports of mistreating patients by starvation, prolonged confinements, beatings, and packing patients in ice led to the hospital finally being shut down in 1996. Many believe the buildings to be haunted.

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