FISH DO NOT NEED ANTIDEPRESSANTS OR HORMONES
While not everyone considers the development of knowledge on pharmaceutical waste disposal to be an inherently glamorous field of study, we can all relate to the importance of having our household waste managed properly. A garbage strike or backed up sewer can suddenly make waste disposal a top priority. But the day-to-day concerns about where our garbage ends up is rarely a concern to most of us. We assume that what we throw in the garbage and recycling bins goes where it needs to go. But what happens to things like unused medications, or over-the-counter drugs we throw out regularly?
Unfortunately there is a big gap in knowledge and awareness when it comes to the disposal of unused and discarded prescription drugs. Even the most environmentally enlightened of us may not realize that throwing away a partially used bottle of a common prescription drug for hormone replacement or antidepressants has adverse impacts on our water supply and marine life.
Here is the typical chain of events that most of us initiate in our homes on a regular basis. We see our doctor for a chronic pain or illness and we receive a prescription or two. We use it for a while, and it works so we stop taking it. A few months later we are cleaning out our medicine cabinet and we see outdated bottles of medication. We throw them into the garbage or maybe we pour them down the toilet to reduce the chances of them getting into the wrong people's hands (i.e. children or pets).
This is where the waste stream starts. If the medication ends up in the regular garbage can, it is collected, compressed and sent to the County landfill. Over time it decomposes and rain and moisture leach from the landfill into the bay or local streams polluting local water sources. If the medication is sent down the toilet, it goes through the sewer line and is flushed along until it reaches the local waste treatment plant. Water treatment plants are designed to protect our waterways by decomposing organic matter in sewage and then disinfecting the treated wastewater. However, many pharmaceutical drugs pass through the treatment process unchanged. So when the treated water is disbursed into the bay, we now have released the actual medication directly into a water source and natural habitat for marine life. In addition, the introduction of pharmaceuticals into a private septic tank can interrupt the biological breakdown process to destroy their effective operation.
This is one of those silent almost undetectable habits we need to address now. In March 2002, the United States Geological Society (USGS) released a nationwide study of surface waters. Of the 139 streams sampled, 80 % of the water samples included common pharmaceutical drugs (i.e. antidepressants, hormones, and antibiotics). Clearly, the pollution of our waterways has a drastic impact on fish and wildlife, not to mention our own health. The food chain is infected and we as consumers are at risk. Higher concentrations of antibiotics ingested through food and water create a resistance in our bodies to the antibiotics we need and take when we are sick. The popularity of antibacterial soap as a common soap used in the home and sent down the sewer is adding to this resistance.
The Marin County Household Hazardous Waste Facility is funded by the Marin County Solid and Hazardous Waste Joint Powers Agreement. The City of San Rafael Fire Department operates the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Management program for the entire County (minus Novato). Through this HHW program, the fire department is actively educating the public to reduce improper disposal into our environment.
The Fire Department has worked with Marin County Environmental Health Department to organize a new program to reduce used and discarded pharmaceuticals from the waste stream. Pharmacies are now accepting the unused medications and sending them to the proper disposal sites (usually an incinerator).
We are currently working with:
- Jack's Drug Store and Walgreens in San Anselmo,
- Lawson-Dyer Pharmacy and Walgreens in Mill Valley,
- Marin Medical Pharmacy and Walgreens in San Rafael
- Ross Valley Pharmacy in Larkspur.
- Future Locations Expected Soon...
If you are a Kaiser member, see your Kaiser pharmacy to find out about their pharmaceutical disposal program. If you want to know what your retail pharmacy is doing, contact them directly.