Pharmaceuticals Getting into the Environment: A Growing Concern.
Prescription and non-prescription drugs are becoming a growing concern as more of them are being detected in United States rivers and waterways. Pharmaceuticals in water are an area of growing scientific interest because the long-term affect on animals and people is largely unknown. The United States Geological Survey found that 80 percent of the watersheds sampled nationally contained at least one type of pharmaceutical chemical.
The Environmental Protection Agency feels the importance of individuals adding pharmaceutical chemicals to the environment has been largely overlooked. During the last three decades, the focus of chemical pollution has focused almost exclusively on pollutants, such as metals (lead, silver, etc.), pesticides (DDT, Diazinon, etc.) or gasoline and its by-products. The occurrence of pharmaceutical drugs in the environment has only recently become a main focus, which is due in some part to improvements in analytical testing methods for many of these drugs.
People add pharmaceutical chemicals to the environment when unused or expired medications are flushed down a toilet or washed down a sink. For most of us, we have been trained to get rid of old or unwanted drugs by flushing them down the toilet or pouring them down a sink. This practice evolved partly from our desire to keep potentially-dangerous drugs out of the hands of others, especially children. However, this practice is probably the least environmentally friendly method of disposing of old or unwanted drugs.
When these drugs enter the sewage system, they go to the local wastewater treatment facility. Wastewater treatment facilities, however, are not designed or equipped to “filter out” these chemicals. Once these drugs leave a house, there is a very real chance of them entering our nation’s waterways. The good news for now is that the concentrations of these drugs that are being found are extremely low. However, it is important to understand the proper and environmentally safe way to dispose of pharmaceuticals.
In February 2007, the Office of National Drug Control Policy issued federal guidelines for the proper disposal of prescription drugs. They are as follows: Take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers and throw them in the trash. Mixing prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and putting them in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or a sealable bag will further ensure the drugs are not diverted. Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs doing so.
Consumers should take advantage of community pharmaceutical take-back programs or community solid-waste programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal. Where these exist, they are a good way to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals.
Walgreen’s pharmacy at 6421 West Saginaw Highway accepts unused and/or expired medications during normal pharmacy hours.
For persons with access to the internet, additional information may be found at www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov.
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