Flush Less, Crush More

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced on Monday it is working together with two large industry organizations to help promote the safe disposal of medication to protect the nation's water resources. The government agency responsible for fish and wildlife conversation and stewardship of natural resources has pledged to work with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America which represent the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies along with the American Pharmacists Association which is the largest association of pharmacists in the U.S.

SMART DISPOSAL CAMPAIGN

A promotional campaign called "SMART DISPOSAL" will advise people on how to get rid of medicines in the garbage rather than throwing them down the toilet. The agreement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work together with these two pharmaceutical organizations was announced Monay, March 17, 2008 at the annual meeting of the American Pharmacists Association in San Diego, California, one of the largest conferences of pharmacy professional and health services providers in the country.

THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ALREADY KNOWS

Last week, it was revealed by the Associated Press, that in a five month investigation, their team found traces of drugs in drinking water. In a country that provides clean drinking water, germs are screened but there is little in place to filter drugs. The Environmental Protection Agency is aware of this problem but has the bureaucratic challenge of working with local, state and federal government agencies to full assess the problem before they can move on to developing an plan and implementing an appropriate course of action.

CRUSH, DON'T FLUSH

So while the U.S. government works to figure out what to do next, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with the American Pharmacists Association and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America encourage you to do the following to help protect our environment: don't flush medicines, crush medicines in a plastic bag and add coffee-grounds, sawdust or kitty-litter, seal the bag and put in the trash.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Here are more specific guidelines:

1. DO NOT FLUSH OR POUR DOWN DRAINS

Don't flush unused medications or pour them down a sink or drain. While it's best not to flush, the Food and Drug Administration acknowledge that some medications run the risk of being abused and are best flushed.

2. DISPOSE UNUSED MEDICATION IN HOUSEHOLD TRASH

Ensure kids and pets don't accidentally ingest by pouring the medication into a sealed plastic bag. If it is a solid pill or capsule, crush it or add water to dissolve. Add kitty litter, sawdust, coffee grounds or dirt to make it something that kids or pets won't want to eat and seal it in a plastic bag and put in the garbage. It is suggested you also remove and destroy all personal and prescription information from the medication container.

3. CHECK WITH YOUR PHARMACIST

Your local drugstore or pharmacy may already have a way of safely disposing of old medicine. Check with them to see if you can bring them your unused medications.

More information: http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=BD972725-A176-1841-9F1266DD535BE6B1