U.S. Pharmaceutical System Needs Change Townshend Resident

Elkanah Linder is a 24-year-old Townshend resident that graduated from the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the University of Philadelphia. Linder then traveled to Sweden to study a system associated with the Pharmaceutical industry that classified medications and drugs based on their environmental impact.Elkanah Linder is determined to introduce such a system in the United States. She focuses on the environmental aspect of the industry, explaining what happens when hums consume and dispose of drugs. When humans excrete parts of medications through the human waste which gets accumulated in water.

This ultimately affects the aquatic ecosystem, potentially harming aquatic life. In some cases, these residues may find their way back to the water bodies used for drinking water. According to Linder, the biggest troublemakers of the Pharmaceutical family are steroids. Steroids have been studied to have a drastically damaging impact on the reproductive nature of aquatic creatures as they can change their gender.

Linder exclaimed that at present, Sweden is the only country that has an efficient coded system for Pharmaceutical based on the environmental implications. The codes and labels provide information to the public about the exact environmental risks.

Adopting such a system in the United States can potentially encourage Pharmaceutical companies to develop sustainable medications. Linder is on her scholarship, which allows her to explore her interests for nine months in Sweden. Her interest in the health care system arose from her own medical background when Linder injured her wrist during senior year.