You may recall that a national campaign to take back dangerous controlled substances was held at many local drop-off sites in late September. The event, called National Take Back Day, was supported by law enforcement officials, medical examiners, pharmacists, as well as drug-abuse specialists.
Not only was this effort beneficial in keeping these medicines from getting into the wrong hands and being misused, it also benefited the environment by preventing the improper disposal of drugs that could potentially harm our public water supplies, as well as our ground water and our environment.
As I've mentioned previously, medications and our water supply don't mix. With increased numbers of people taking medication, as well as there being more medication out there due to changes in treatment and medications that have expired, it's a concern that is often not addressed. The public needs to be aware of the risks to the environment as a result of flushing controlled substances. Flushing unused medications is not environmentally or medically responsible and should be avoided unless explicitly instructed by the Food and Drug Administration or in cases where the medication carries specific instructions to do so.
The FDA does suggest flushing certain narcotics that could be potentially deadly if taken by someone other than to whom it was prescribed. Narcotics should not be thrown in the trash because of the dangers to children and household pets who could consume them. Another alternative is to bring unused pharmaceutical medications to a drop-off box, which exists in several area communities.
If you can't find a way to return unused drugs, follow these guidelines from the Office of National Drug Control:
Remove potentially dangerous controlled substances from their original containers.
Mix these medicines with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds.
Put the mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub, or into a sealed bag.
Conceal or remove any personal information, including prescription numbers, on the empty containers by covering them with black permanent marker or duct tape or by scratching them off.
Place the sealed containers with the mixture, as well as the empty drug containers, in the trash.
So is our public drinking water safe? While there currently may not be overriding cause for concern, we should all make an effort to see that it doesn't become a larger problem in the future. How can we prevent these contaminants from entering the water supply? We can all take responsibility and make sure we don't flush medications that could cause medical issues down the road, as well as become costly to our communities.
Research studies being conducted show no evidence that medications in our water supply are a factor in jeopardizing one's health, but with there being no regulatory standards or requirements, who's to say we couldn't be looking at different results down the road. Now is the time to make people aware of what may lie ahead. According to state Department of Environmental Protection Agency's website, "Many drugs are not degraded by the wastewater treatment process or in a septic system, and, consequently, are released into the environment."
Water samples taken downstream from wastewater treatment plants around the country, as well as from surface waters, have found low levels of pharmaceutical compounds. So far, the concentrations found don't seem high enough to pose adverse effects for humans, but the concentrations are too high for aquatic organisms. Some of the most troubling compounds are those resulting from hormone and hormone-mimic drugs, which have been found to disrupt sexual development in aquatic life.
So, before it's too late, let's all make a conscious decision to be aware of our role in environmental safety. If not us, who would pay for the consequences? It may just be several generations from now cleaning up the mess that could have been prevented.
• • •
Bill Goss is the owner of Quality Systems Consulting Group in Amesbury. His website is www.merrimackvalleygreen.com. If you have any questions regarding Going Green, send them to merrimackvalleygreen@comcast.net and he will answer them in upcoming columns.
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