Dumping Your Drugs? Don’t Flush Them Away

Marilyn Milloy, AARP Bulletin, January 2007

Your toilet bowl may be the time-honored venue for dumping expired or unused drugs, but your local waterways could suffer for it.

The U.S. Geologic Survey has been studying the nations waterways for years, and an exhaustive study in 2002 detected trace levels of chemicals commonly found in prescription drugs in 80 percent of the streams tested across the country. Now, under pressure from researchers who suspect hormones and antidepressants may be responsible for harming fish, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is on the march to gauge the health and environmental impact of pharmaceuticals in water.

In the last year, says EPA press officer Suzanne Ackerman, the agency as made some "ground breaking" advances and is testing methods that maybe effective in removing pharmaceuticals from the water. The going is slow, she concedes, "but it’s happening."

Meanwhile, what would you do with your unused drugs? There is no government guidelines, so pharmaceutical experts recommend:

1. Find out if your local pharmacies take back medications. Some have occasional days designated for such drop-offs.

2. Check to see whether your area as a community household hazardous waste collection program.

3. Go to www.epa.gov/epahome/state.htm for local numbers.

If you must turn to your garbage can, take these precautions:

1. Keep the medication in its original container. Scratch out your name for security purposes.

2. Add a small amount of water to pills, or an absorbent material like flour to liquid medications to discourage their use.

3. Put the containers in a paper bag or a yogurt container to conceal them, then toss as close to your trash pickup time as possible.

Marilyn Milloy
AARP Bulletin
January 2007

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