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A Prescription for Clean Waterways

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Photo Credit: higlu (Flickr)

Most homes have medicine cabinets that are filled with unused and expired prescription and over-the-counter drugs, but many households might not know how to properly dispose of them. Prescription drugs are often composed of hazardous or toxic synthetic chemicals that may enter our rivers, creeks, so those who use these remedies must be diligent in making sure their medicines do not enter our water supply.

According to an Associated Press survey conducted by independent researchers, in 2008, pharmaceutical residues had been detected in the water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas, serving over 41 million Americans. (San Antonio was not tested in this survey.) Between 1999 and 2000, the U.S. Geological Survey sampled 139 streams in 30 states and discovered traces of prescription drugs in 80 percent of the sampled sites. As the years pass, the amount of prescription drugs that are prescribed to U.S. residents only continues to increase.

Few comprehensive studies have been done to determine how human health may be impacted by trace amounts of prescription drugs in our water supply. But pharmaceutical pollution has been shown to have a detrimental impact ecosystems and aquatic organisms.  

A great deal of prescription drugs enters our waterways when humans dispose of them through their bodies. Most prescription drugs are not fully metabolized when taken and excrete through the body through human waste. While waste water treatment plants are excellent at removing biological agents in our water, prescription drugs are often made of synthetic compounds that do not get broken down in the treatment process.

Of course we cannot do anything to prevent the drugs that metabolize in our bodies from entering our water systems, save limit our reliance on prescription medicine, but we can prevent unused and expired drugs from finding their ways in our rivers and streams and harming our ecosystems.

Community Take-Back Programs

Community take-back programs are perhaps the most effective way to ensure proper disposal of unused and expired medicines. CVS/pharmacy, located in the 4805 Medical Drive, will accept prescriptions for disposal. Take-back programs at CVS may vary by location, and it is recommended that you call your nearest location to see if they participate in a drug disposal program.

At this time, San Antonio H-E-B, Walgreens and Walmart locations do not participate in a drug take-back program. Also none of the major hospital systems in San Antonio, including University Health System, Methodist Health System, Baptist Health System and CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System, have a community drug disposal program.

Community take back programs are difficult to implement because of the nature of the materials being collected. The transfer of medications, including narcotics, is regulated by the federal government, and implementation of these programs locally, often involve collaboration with the SAPD Narcotics Division and the DEA. There is also a safety concern for the collection of unused prescription drugs. Some may be toxic, for example chemotherapy drugs, so there are unsafe for people who might collect these drugs.

MedDropSA

However, other safe community disposal alternatives are available. The San Antonio Water System, San Antonio Police and City of San Antonio Solid Waste Management Department are sponsors of MedDropSA, a community prescription drug take-back event that occurs twice a year. Residents are encouraged to drop off their medication to ensure they are properly disposed of so they do not enter our waterways. The following items are accepted.

• Unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications in their original container or in a sealable plastic bag.

or

• Liquid medications in their sealed original containers.

Needles or other sharp objects are not accepted.

Photo Credit: MedDropSA Related Link: MedDropSA The Next MedDropSA Event: Saturday, September 11, 2010 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Alamadome Parking Lot B (Cherry Street Entrance)

The next MedDropSA event takes place on September 11, 2010 at the Alamodome. Residents are encouraged to stop by Lot B off of Cherry Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. to drop off their unused medications. This program is recommended to all households in the area, not just SAWS customers and San Antonio residents. The program is not open to hospitals and pharmacies at this time. More information is available at meddropsa.com.

The City of San Antonio believes that the MedDropSA program is the safest and most recommended way to dispose of your unused medications. But what happens to these drugs after they are collected?

All drugs collected at MedDropSA events are transferred by the police to their confiscated drug vault where they are stored until they are transferred to a permitted incineration facility located in Bay City, TX. Prescription medications are the second most abused narcotics in the United States behind marijuana. Local law enforcement wants to make sure all proper procedures are in place to ensure that unused medication does not end up back in the public for unsafe exposure or abuse.

 

 

 

 

At-Home Disposal

Photo Credit: FDA Related Link: How To Dispose of Unused Medicines (FDA) SMARxT Disposal Campaign

Community take-back programs in our community are in their infancy and may grow in the future. But many households may be concerned about children and pets exposing themselves to unused pharmaceuticals that may be harmful to their health and may not want to wait for the next MedDropSA event to dispose of these materials.

While the MedDropSA program is the most recommended way locally to properly dispose of your pharmaceutical waste, there are certain at-home procedures that you can do to make sure you throw away your medications safely.

The FDA has a recommended at-home process to ensure that these drugs are disposed of safely and do not enter our water supplies.

According to their consumer guidelines, you should first check the disposal instructions provided by the pharmaceutical manufacturer. Some drug makers have take-back programs of their own, and you should check with pharmaceutical company to see if a program exists for your medications. If no specific disposal guidelines accompany the medication, you can safely dispose by following these procedures.

For the most part, NEVER flush your medications down the toilet or pour them down the sink or drain. However, there are about a dozen medications that the FDA has determined as safe to flush. A list of these medications are available here. However, the City of San Antonio highly recommends that you flush no medications, whatsoever.

 

 

For all other medications, you should:

1. Pour medications into a sealable plastic bag. Both solid and liquid medications should be emptied from their original containers.
2. Add a small amount of water to the sealable bag to dissolve your medications.
3. Add used coffee grounds, saw dust or any other materials that you can mix the medications with that will make them undesirable for children or pets to eat.
4. Seal the bag and shake to mix the solution, then put it in the brown bin for storage in our landfill.
5. Be sure to remove and personal identification information from your medication containers before recycling them in your blue bin. Remember, the blue bin accepts all plastic containers labeled 1 through 7. Glass containers are also accepted in your blue bins after they have been rinsed.