polluting

A derrick pumps oil on a hill above Alexander, in the Bakken region of N.D. AP Photo/Martha Irvine)

Both legal and illegal drugs are polluting streams in and around at least 1 major U.S. city, a new study reveals. This includes amphetamines, which are biologically active and highly addictive. [1]
The pollution comes at a high cost, ecologically. Areas in some streams have high enough concentrations of amphetamines to alter the bottom of the aquatic food chain.
Study author Sylvia Lee said:

You know those microbeads that are found in toothpaste, facewash, hand soap and a bunch of other things? They’re terrible for the environment, and you should stop using them.
Microbeads are added to products to increase scrubbing action. The tiny plastic balls are taking over our oceans, harming the creatures living in them. About 8 billion microbeads make their way into U.S. waterways each day – enough to cover 300 tennis courts. [1]