[Pharmwaste] That quote.

[Volkman, Jennifer (MPCA)]

Ok, you all have been very nice not to post the quote from me that has shown up in 20 or more papers across the US, so far.  I was interviewed for a local "Fixit" column here, for about 4 minutes, on the topic of pharmaceuticals.  Mr. Fixit is a column where people ask questions about anything and Fixit (who is actually Karen Youso) will answer them. We talked about reusing HH pharms, surface and drinking water contamination and proper disposal. I asked to see copy before it was printed, but didn't get to, so she used an "off the top of my head" quote, which obviously wasn't well thought out. My mother was the first to read it and scold me for using the word "peed", which I regret. Furthermore, I'm not sure what the 80% means, other than that it confirms my other invented statistic that 50% of all statistics you read are made up.  My apologies for those 5 words.  I think the rest of the article is probably ok.

Hope you all had a great weekend!
JV

By KAREN YOUSO−Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Q: My mother died and I have an assortment of medications left. Some are new and unopened, some sorted
into daily containers. Is there a place that will take new and unopened medications for use by other people?
How does one dispose of old medications?

A: You can't donate medication. There's no way to know if it has been tampered with or stored effectively.
The pills, all of them, have to go − but not down the toilet.

That commonly used disposal method has helped taint the state's surface waters. Traces of pharmaceuticals −
prescription and over−the−counter drugs − have been found in public water, said Jennifer Volkman,
household hazardous waste program coordinator for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
But that's not the only way drugs get into water.

"Eighty percent is peed out," she said. "You can't capture that, but we reduce what we can."

In an effort to do that, new state legislation allows more organizations to collect unwanted medications in an
effort to control their disposal and illicit use. Some collection programs are up and running; watch for
additional drop boxes at your local police or sheriff's offices.

Until then, the MPCA recommends that you dispose of unwanted medications this way:
−Use the original container, which typically has a childproof cap.
−Scratch or black out personal information on the label, but leave the medication's description and safety
information visible.
−Spoil the contents to make them undesirable. Add water to dissolve pills and capsules. To liquids, add salt,
flour, charcoal or a powdered spice such as mustard.
−Seal the container with duct tape and then hide it inside another commonly discarded container, such as a
margarine tub.
−Throw it away in a garbage can, not a recycling bin.
−Don't hide medicine inside food, because it could harm animals that scavenge through garbage.