[Pharmwaste] Programs aim to keep medicine out of environment - WA article

[Tenace, Laurie]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012290717_apwaprescriptiondisposal1stldwritethru.html



Programs aim to keep medicine out of environment
Local and regional prescription collection programs are trying to keep medicine out of Washington's drinking water and wildlife habitat.

The Associated Press

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EVERETT, Wash. -
Local and regional prescription collection programs are trying to keep medicine out of Washington's drinking water and wildlife habitat.

Snohomish County has started a collection program as a partnership between police and public health officials. The pilot was started in December and nearly 600 pounds of unwanted medicines already have been turned in. The drugs are on their way to a regulated incinerator.

Group Health Cooperative and local Bartell Drugs are also helping people safely dispose of unwanted medicines. Group Health collects about 6,700 pounds of unused medicines every two weeks in Washington state. Pharmacies are prevented by law from taking back prescription narcotics, but police are allowed to handle narcotics.

"First and foremost, we want people to treat any drug like a loaded gun," said Pat Slack, commander of the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.

Police worry about the unwanted medications being sold on the streets and contributing to violence. Everett detectives suspect an Everett man was shot to death late last month over a disputed drug deal involving the pain medication OxyContin.

There also are serious health risks associated with storing unused medications and improper disposal, said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, health officer for the Snohomish Health District.

"A lot of people start their drug addiction simply because the drugs are there," Slack said.

Parents can prevent experimentation by kids at home if they get rid of unused medications, Goldbaum said.

In a recent youth survey, nearly 11 percent of Snohomish County 10th-graders reported using pain relievers to get high in the past month.

Improper disposal also may have serious public health consequences, Goldbaum said. The long-term impact of medicines found in water supplies is unknown.

In the past, people were advised to flush unused medications or to mix them with cat litter and dump them in the garbage.

It's now illegal to flush the drugs, and in Snohomish County it's also illegal to dump them in the garbage because drugs are considered hazardous waste. Until the take-back program, however, there were limited disposal options.

Earlier this week, Everett County officials sorted through 15 of 36 boxes full of unused medications in an effort to collect data about what kind of drugs people are dropping off.

About 6 percent were controlled substances, including opiates. Nonnarcotic prescription drugs made up about 74 percent of the collected medications. The remaining drugs were over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin, said Jonelle Fenton-Wallace, an environmental health specialist with the Snohomish Health District.



Laurie Tenace
Environmental Specialist
Waste Reduction Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Rd., MS 4555
Tallahassee FL 32399-2400
P: 850.245.8759
F: 850.245.8811
Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us

Mercury: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm

Batteries: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/batteries/default.htm

Pharmaceuticals:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/medications/default.htm
To join the Pharmwaste listserve: http://lists.dep.state.fl.us/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/pharmwaste

Household Hazardous Waste:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/hazardous/pages/household.htm





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