Damage to water supply occurring beyond the Gulf

 While the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is getting the nation's attention, our local water supply is being put at risk by chemicals and pharmaceuticals in the Ohio River. Questions are arising about what a lack of safety measures is doing to not only our planet but also ourselves.

Water is a necessity. It sustains life. It's one of the few things a human needs to survive, and it is vital that it is clean and drinkable. We're contaminating a resource as vital as air. The Gulf spill outrage is notable, but why aren't more people angry that local problems aren't being solved fast enough, either?

President Obama's approval ratings have gone down and polls are showing disapproval of his handling of the oil spill in the Gulf becoming higher nationally. BP is beginning tests that could potentially shut off the source of the spill that has been pouring tens of thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico daily. While this is good news, much damage has already been done.

It's not just our drinking water that is being affected. Marine life in both instances are being harmed. More broadly in the Gulf, a wide variety of animals including birds, sea turtles and sperm whales are unable to stay in their natural habitats, painfully ill or even dying. Scientists are concerned that some of the medication found in the Ohio River could be feminizing the male fish, which could lead to further depletion of our aquatic resources.

Although the Gulf Coast oil spill may be more severe than the contaminated Ohio River, government officials on the local level should be doing everything in their power to make sure the water we consume is safe and marine life involved is unharmed.