Are you scared yet? These are recent headlines regarding the contamination of our nation's water with prescription drugs.

First of all, how do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water?

When people take prescription drugs, their bodies do not absorb it all. Whatever isn't metabolized passes through the body and gets flushed down the toilet. That wastewater is then treated and released back into lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. Some of that water eventually makes it back into your tap water.

How do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water in other ways?

Unneeded or expired drugs are often flushed down the toilet by individuals, hospitals, and nursing homes. The number of prescriptions rose 12 percent in the last five years to a staggering 3.7 billion and if this trend continues, the problem is only going to get worse.

Unfortunately for us, a probe finds drugs in drinking water, yet the government is doing nothing about it. The EPA has recognized that this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed but for now we are left to fend for ourselves.

Currently there are no established limits on pharmaceutical drugs in drinking water.

After this problem was brought to light, a wave of panic swept the American public. Many people demanded answers and repeatedly asked, "How do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water and what can we do to protect ourselves?"

Bottled water companies were quick to jump at the opportunity to make sales. Bottled water is no safer than tap, however.

You might think that all bottled water comes from a beautiful mountain spring or glacier but in reality, 25 percent of bottled water comes from the tap and furthermore, there are no government standards that regulate its quality.

As a probe finds drugs in drinking water, scientists discover that even small amounts of drugs can have a harmful effect on human cells. This evidence paired with the discovery of mutated aquatic life is enough to raise a series of red flags.

Currently the only real way to protect ourselves is by investing in a water filtration system. Why water filtration and not reverse osmosis or distillation?

First off, reverse osmosis and distillation remove minerals from water. In nature, all water contains traces of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. A multi-year World Health Organization study concluded that humans must consume water with some trace minerals.

Drinking demineralized water can lead to multiple mineral deficiencies. In addition, neither of these two methods of water purification is very effective at removing synthetic chemicals. Multi-media block filters that use carbon are the most effective at filtering out a wide range of contaminants.

While these new studies and reports are alarming, it is no reason to go hide under a rock. The power is in your hands so do yourself a favor and start comparing home water filters.

Currently the government is doing little to protect us and the only way to be sure that you and your family are getting safe water is to find a good filtration system for your home.

Don't let your friends and loved ones remain victims either. The next time you hear someone ask the question, "How do pharmaceutical drugs get in drinking water and what can I do about it?" you can spread awareness by educating them about this problem and its immediate solution.