Pharmaceutical waste has emerged as a major issue for the environment

Tag : Drugs & Medications

Whether it's prescription or non-prescription drugs and evenpersonal care products such as deodorant and hair dye, "we don'twant you to flush them down the drain any more because we'relearning it's not a good thing for the environment," said JeffReinhardt, public affairs and communications manager for the LasVirgenes Municipal Water District.
A statewide public information campaign this week calls for a newhabit, "No Drugs Down the Drain," contradicting what has beenrecommended for years, that medications be flushed down the toilet.
The campaign is part of a nationwide effort to tell America thatunused pharmaceuticals are polluting the environment, Reinhardtsaid.
The city of Oxnard is involved in the awareness campaign as part ofthe Southern California Coastal Water Research Coalition, MarkPumford said.
"We are finding that endocrine-disrupting compounds are showing upin the ocean. So we know that not all medicines are being removedin the water treatment process," said Pumford, technical servicesmanager for the Water Resources Division of the city's public worksdepartment.
Drug sales have doubled in recent years, and "pharmaceutical wastehas emerged as a major issue for the environment," state officialssay.
But controlling water pollution is only one part of the picture and"there is still much we need to figure out," said Mark Lawler,general manager of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, whichoperates the Toland Road Landfill. Lawler said his district doesn'town or operate any treatment plants so how drugs are disposed of isup to the plant operators.
Still, the district is involved because throwing drugs into thetrash without preparing them in the recommended manner doesn'tsolve anything, either.
Since federal law limits who can handle certain prescriptions andcontrolled substances, "it's an interesting problem. I don't knowhow it's going to be resolved," Lawler said.
State officials are saying the campaign is warranted since moresophisticated technologies are detecting pharmaceutical compoundsin the environment, and research is showing that pharmaceuticals inwaterways may be having a negative impact on fish and other aquaticlife.
"We can measure parts per trillion now" and know much more thandecades ago, Reinhardt said.
The "No Drugs Down the Drain" campaign makes three suggestions fordisposal: ask your pharmacy to take medications back, take them toa household hazardous waste collection site, or crush them and mixwith soil, put into their original container with safety cap, tapeshut, wrap and place in the trash.
To learn more, visit http://www.NoDrugsDownTheDrain.org.
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