Flushing an old drug down the toilet used to be the recommended option for disposing of old or leftover drugs. No more. Press reports about drugs in the water supply has raised serious issues about pharmaceuticals in our water.
Here in eastern Iowa, professionals share public worries about the same issue: the growing number of pharmaceuticals causing a safety threat at home, and the resulting environmental impact these chemicals, hormones, and other compounds could be having in the Mississippi River and our drinking water.
More medications pose greater safety threats. Susan Alden, a certified nurse practitioner with the Mississippi Valley Pain Clinic, can tell you all about the higher numbers of medications in our daily life.
“I have seen patients who take as many as 20 different medications a day,” Susan explains. “I counsel my patients (many recovering from surgeries who require pain medications) to be aware of the dangers these drugs cause to unwary children, pets or wildlife if improperly thrown in the garbage or flushed down the toilet.”
Drugs can contaminate the environment
Not only are the drugs posing a threat to people, but also to the environment.
For Quad Citians, proud to call the Mississippi River home, there is an increasing urgency to become stewards of protecting our local waterways.
Dana W. Kolpin, an Iowa City-based research hydrologist with the United States Geological Survey, conducted the first national study published in 2002 on the effects of pharmaceuticals and water quality. After sampling 139 streams in 30 states including Iowa and Illinois, scientists found steroids, nonprescription drugs and insect repellent to be the most commonly detected chemical groups in susceptible streams.
“We are finding these compounds everywhere: our soils, our water, streams and rivers. There is a growing body of evidence that some of these compounds can affect wildlife,” says Dana. “Although our 2002 study generally found prescription drugs in low levels, we are truly in the first steps of understanding how all of this can affect human health and our drinking water. Our waste treatment plants and drinking water treatment facilities were not designed to remove these contaminants.”
Quad City residents are encouraged to dispose of prescription and non-prescription drugs through the Iowa Pharmacy Association’s TakeAway program. Through this program, several local pharmacies allow customers to bring unwanted medications back to the pharmacy. Other participating pharmacies sell envelopes so the customer can send old medications through the mail directly to an incinerator for safe disposal. Find a participating pharmacy here.
Waste Commission of Scott County also accepts medication through its Household Hazardous Waste Program. Just bring in any medications, needle sharps, or over-the-counter medications to the Household Hazardous Material Permanent Facility, located at the Scott Area Landfill (7:30 am – 4 pm, M-F) or to the Scott Area Recycling Center located at 5640 Carey Ave., Davenport (7:30 am – 4 pm, M-F).
If you’re planning on returning other types of hazardous material (like paints or pesticides), an appointment is required. Call 563-381-1300 or visit the Waste Commission website for more information.
Quad City Operation Medicine Cabinet
This September 22-24, the Waste Commission of Scott County will hold its annual Operation Medicine Cabinet event for residents who want to dispose of household hazardous or pharmaceutical waste properly. This year’s event will be held from 9 am to 1 pm at each of the following locations:
- Thursday, September 22nd: Medic EMS Facility, LeClaire Road and Hwy 61, Eldridge;
- Friday, September 23rd: Bettendorf Fire Station, Middle Road and Crow Creek Road, Bettendorf; and
- Saturday, September 24th: Scott Area Recycling Center, 5640 Carey Avenue, Davenport.
Following are some rules and guidelines for the event:
- Sharps must be in a sealed, rigid container
- Mercury thermometers, thermostats and CFLs must be packaged to prevent breakage
- Only one digital thermometer will be given per household
- Documents for shredding should be in bags or cardboard boxes; containers will not be returned
- Only paper documents will be accepted for shredding
- Staples and paperclips in paper documents are acceptable
- Binders and metal rings in paper documents are not acceptable
- Event is free of charge and open to residents of eastern Iowa and western Illinois
- Business waste will not be accepted
Properly disposing of pharmaceuticals and medications reduces the risk of mis-medication, accidental poisoning, theft/drug abuse and pollution of our waterways and groundwater caused by flushing. In addition, the event encourages safe and proper disposal of medical sharps and mercury-containing thermometers, thermostats and CFLs and reduces the risk of identity theft through document shredding. Scott County law-enforcement officials supervise the disposal of all materials.
This event is sponsored by: City of Bettendorf, Bettendorf Police Department, Davenport Police Department, Document Destruction and Recycling Services, Generations Area Agency on Aging, Iowa American Water, Medic EMS, Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Scott County Health Department, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Waste Commission of Scott County and Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging. Residents can call Waste Commission of Scott County at 563-381-1300 or visit www.wastecom.com for additional information.
For other stories related to this subject, check out the following:
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides some guidelines on how to dispose of unused medicines if you don’t or can’t participate in this week’s Operation Medicine Cabinet event managed by Waste Commission of Scott County. You can also download this e-book published by the FDA.
