Pain in the Drain | Prescription Disposal
Did you know that how you dispose of your medications can have a significant impact on the environment? In the past, many people have flushed prescription, over-the-counter and veterinary medications down their toilet. Someone probably told you this was a good way to keep the medication away from children and pets. This is not the best method of disposal for these products, however.
Increasingly, prescription and non-prescription medications, many of which are not effectively destroyed by sewage treatment plants, are finding their way into streams and drinking water supplies. A study conducted by the United States Geological Survey found that 80 percent of 139 streams sampled across 30 states detected very low concentrations of chemicals commonly found in prescription drugs.
The Risks of Improper Disposal of Drugs
When prescription or over-the-counter drugs are thrown into the garbage, or flushed down the sink or toilet, their chemical components may be added to the water supply or soil. The presence of these substances in the environment is emerging as an important national and international issue. Although the concentration levels of these products in the environment is very low, they may be enough to cause adverse effects in the environment and to human health. There are also concerns over the effects of medications ending up in drinking water sources.
Also, if a drug prescribed to fight infection is not taken as directed, antibiotic resistance can occur. This is believed to be caused by the overuse or inappropriate use of drugs such as antibiotics, in preventing or treating infection and disease in people, animals and plants. When antibiotics are used inappropriately, the weak germs are killed but the stronger, more resistant ones survive and multiply. These drug-resistant germs make it harder to prevent and treat infections and diseases because fewer antibiotics are effective against them.
Although there is not yet any solid evidence, there is also some concern about leftover prescriptions being disposed of in the environment and possibly adding to the problem of antibiotic resistance.
Why Flushing is a Bad Idea
When you flush medication down your drain, it ends up at it ends up at one of our treatment facilities. While these plants are designed to remove many contaminants from untreated water, they may not filter out the ingredients found in many medications.
These ingredients can remain in the treated water when it is released into the Lake Mead, our major source of drinking water, and harm creatures living in the lake, as well as affecting humans.
Proper Use and Disposal of Drugs
At least once a year, go through your medicine cabinet and remove prescription drugs that are old or that you no longer take. Check the expiration dates on non-prescription drugs and remove those that are outdated as well.
Placing outdated or unneeded medications in the garbage is the best way to get rid of them. When throwing away medications, follow these steps:
- Check with your pharmacist or health care provider to see if he/she will take back old prescription drugs.
- Keep prescriptions in their original container. Caps are often childproof and bottles may contain important safety information that could be used if a child or pet did accidentally ingest the medication.
- Alter the medication to discourage others from taking it. Add water to bottles of pills or some absorbent material (cat litter, sawdust, dirt, salt or flour) to the liquid drug (or watered-down solid drug) before recapping to discourage unintended use. Tape the lid shut. Wrap foil sheets of medication in a few layers of tape.
- Hide the medication before placing in your garbage bag. Don't toss the container directly into the garbage; first, put it inside another container like an empty margarine tub, yogurt cup, etc. Double enclose the container in a bag or other waste container to prevent identification of the drug or to prevent a glass container from breaking. Place in the trash.
NOTE: For your own protection, remove your personal information from the label.