Years ago, consumers were advised to flush unneeded or outdated medications down the toilet. No more.
Unused, unneeded or expired prescription drugs should be destroyed in an approved industrial incinerator, if possible, or discarded with the trash and entombed in a landfill, according to Bruce Whitteberry, Assistant Superintendent for Greater Cincinnati Water Works.“In a perfect world we would dispose of our medications in ways that would allow them to be either completely destroyed or recycled,” Mr. Whitteberry says. “But recycling isn’t possible, and not all communities have a formal drug collection and incineration program.”
For many communities throughout the United States, Medication Disposal Day will be held on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Law enforcement officers at specified locations will collect and properly dispose of all unused and/or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications, along with the containers, in a safe, environmentally friendly manner. Check with your county administration to find a location near you, or visit the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration >>
Although landfilling old medicines is not ideal, the landfill does provide containment, while flushing medications down the toilet sends them to our rivers and streams.
“Sewage plants are not capable of removing the majority of chemicals from the water,” Mr. Whitteberry says. “We as a nation are now starting to pick up trace levels of antibiotics, anti-depressants, birth control medications and other compounds in our rivers and streams. Although these compounds have likely been in the water for years, new analytical tools are enabling us to confirm their presence.”
“Although these emerging contaminants are being found at very low levels – in parts per trillion – we don’t know their long-term effects. Science knows what the benefits of these drugs are to those who need them, but we don’t know the long-term effects to populations that were never intended to ingest those compounds over long periods of time.”
Greater Cincinnati Water Works’ main water source is the Ohio River. To protect customers from source water contaminants, like pharmaceuticals, GCWW draws water upstream of Cincinnati where it is found to be cleaner, and uses Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) as part of its treatment process. GAC is one of the most effective treatment methods available to remove impurities from water.
Other tips:
• Always finish your prescriptions in accordance with your doctor’s orders.
• When purchasing over-the-counter medications, buy only what you can consume before the expiration date.
• Practice preventive medicine to reduce your need for medications.
• Before placing unused medications in the trash, remove them from their original containers, mix them with coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put them in an empty can or sealable bag.
• For more information, please visit www.awwa.org or www.epa.gov/ppcp/faq.html
— Cindy Starr