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Safe-Disposal Drug Drop-offs Set for Tomorrow

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration and local police and sheriff departments throughout the country are coordinating a special effort tomorrow to round up unused and expired prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
The nationwide collection, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, will take any unwanted medications, including controlled substances (but no syringes or illegal drugs).   Go to the DEA website for drop-off sites listed by ZIP codes.
Keeping drugs out of the hands of children and curbing prescription drug abuse are the program's primary aims, but the collection also serves a dual purpose in keeping waste medications from polluting lakes, rivers and drinking-water systems.
A Gilmore Research Group study in 2009 found that 40 percent of those who dispose of unwanted prescription drugs flush them down the toilet or rinse them down the drain and about 50 percent throw them in the trash.
Although there is no evidence of adverse human health effects from pharmaceuticals in drinking water or ground water, the risks are unknown and there is concern about their presence.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says a 2007 study detected more than 100 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (known as PPCPs) in environmental samples and drinking water.  Sewage systems aren't equipped to remove these contaminants.
Perhaps the major concern involves discarded antibiotics, which may contribute to antibiotic resistance, and steroids, which could disrupt aquatic endocrine systems.  More research is needed to determine the concentration of PPCPs in drinking water and whether they play a role in human health problems, the EPA says.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on September 24, 2010 (boomark / email).