[Pharmwaste] FW: Keep Drugs Out of the Water Supply

[Tenace, Laurie]

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From: DeBiasi,Deborah [mailto:Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov] 
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 4:50 PM
To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: Keep Drugs Out of the Water Supply

Parade Magazine had this article Sunday, June 21, 2009:


http://www.parade.com/news/intelligence-report/archive/keep-drugs-out-of
-the-water-supply.html  

Keep Drugs Out of the Water Supply
Doctors, pharmacists, and, until recently, even the federal government
long advised patients to flush unused pharmaceuticals down the toilet.
Then trace amounts of drugs began showing up in the nation's water
supply. 

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is now urging
consumers to seek out " drug take-back programs" instead of flushing
their pills. Unfortunately, such programs are rare, since it is illegal
for patients to give their controlled substances to others, even if it
is just to get rid of them. Take-back programs for controlled substances
require the supervision of the Drug Enforcement Administration or other
law-enforcement authorities to ensure that the drugs don't fall into the
wrong hands. (The Food and Drug Administration still recommends flushing
drugs with a very high potential for abuse, like oxycodone and
morphine.) Legislation introduced this year in Congress would require
the Justice Department to develop simplified rules for take-back
facilities.

"It used to be just flush it and forget it, but we've learned in recent
years that that can have an impact on the environment, on drinking
water, and on aquatic life," says Sharon Corbitt of the American
Pharmacists Association. 

In 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey announced that tests of 139 streams
in 30 states showed trace amounts of common pharmaceuticals like Prozac,
codeine, antibiotics, and drugs for high blood pressure and diabetes.
The Environmental Protection Agency so far has found no immediate risk
to humans but suspects that drug contamination is causing ecological
harm. 

For those lacking take-back options, the federal government recommends
mixing the drugs with an "undesirable substance" like coffee grounds or
kitty litter, entombing them in sealed containers, and throwing them in
the trash. 

- J. Scott Orr



Deborah L. DeBiasi 
Email:   Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov (NEW!)
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov 
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 
Office of Water Permit Programs 
Industrial Pretreatment/Toxics Management Program 
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents 
Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218 (NEW!) 
Location:  629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219 
PH:         804-698-4028 
FAX:      804-698-4032