[H] Off-topic: protecting the environment from conventional drugs

[Teresa Kramer]

Homeopaths surely need to know this less than other folks, but it still may
be useful information. Teresa [Northern VA]

New Tricks for Old Drugs
Washington Post
Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Before you flush your old medications down the toilet, read this: That's not
a method generally recommended as safe -- for people or the environment --
according to new federal guidelines.

The guidelines, issued last month by the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, advise consumers to "take unused, unneeded or expired
prescription drugs out of their original containers and throw them in the
trash."

Even better, they advise, mix the medications with kitty litter or used
coffee grounds and put them in "impermeable, nondescript containers, such as
empty cans or sealable bags" before tossing them, to help prevent accidental
ingestion by children or pets. The Harvard Heart Letter, a publication of
Harvard Medical School, offers another tip: Add "some water to pills, and
put some flour in liquids" before throwing medications away.

Water Safety
Don't flush old medications down the toilet unless the drug's label
specifically says to do so. "Drugs can kill helpful bacteria in septic
systems and pass largely untouched through sewage treatment plants,"
according to Harvard. And, "once in landfills, drugs can trickle into
groundwater."

Community Programs
Some pharmacies, health providers and city and state governments will
dispose of your medications for you. Call those in your area to see what's
available.

If you choose to take part, protect sensitive information, advises Shirley
Reitz, associate director of clinical pharmacy services at Group Health
Cooperative, a Seattle-based health maintenance organization that runs a
medication disposal program. "I would encourage patients . . . not to throw
the [medication] container that has their name information on it into a
waste container" at a public facility. "They need to cross out their name
and other identifying information for their own privacy." Also scratch out
your name on medication bottles before disposing of them at home, Harvard
advises.

Find Them
Read the federal drug disposal guidelines at
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/dru ... posal.html.
-- January W. Payne