Prescription for Reduction

A recent assignment in my pollution class was to weigh in on how every citizen can reduce toxic pollution in our nation's waters.  As a class we had all agreed that the indulgent consumption of the average American's lifestyle made everyone responsible for toxic pollution.  Whether you drive too much, dispose of large piles of plastic every week, fly excessively, leave pet waste, wash your car on pavement, use excessive fertilizer on your garden, or use birth control you are contributing to water and air pollution. 

While it is ridiculous to force a choice between peeing estrogen or having babies (or hot flashes if you're on the mega-estrogens), there are many other things we can all do to reduce our contribution.  Many people have become astute to picking up their pet waste, using car washes and using phosphorous free soap products, but there are many other things that can cut down on contaminants even further.

One solution is to learn xeroscaping and growing low or now mow lawns. Seed mixes are available for every state to ensure growth and nativity, and most include nitrogen fixing clover to eliminate fertilizer application. If you have the money, some no mow meadow mixes include native wildflowers to entice butterflies. No mow lawns also reduce green house gases by eliminating the need to mow and weed eat. Xeroscaping refers to growing native plants that are drought resistant, and can include beautiful succulents in California and Arizona. Another solution is to plant a rain garden or bioswale ditch. All surface run off is infiltrated by the native plants before it becomes groundwater or runs to the nearest stream.

A problem that most people don't think about is the disposal of their pharmaceutical medications. Some pharmaceuticals are hormones or endocrine disrupters, others can bioaccumulate like anti-depressants, and antibiotics that linger in the water lead to resistant bacteria. Unfortunately we also face a time of record prescription abuse, and many teenagers and adults have died from overdoses, so to keep it out of the wrong hands, dispose of any unused narcotics immediately.

For a long time the proper disposal method was to flush meds down the toilet. However, after the 1999-2000 USGS survey, the EPA and FDA recommend placing the medication in used cat litter or coffee grounds and throwing it away, or placing it in a sealed container, filling it with water, and throwing it away. While these disposal methods keep it out of the immediate water supply, it can seep into the groundwater in the future during the breakdown process in a land fill.

As a pharmacy technician, I recommend taking your medication to your local sheriff's office or Group Health Pharmacy. Washington state only has a pilot pharmaceutical take-back program in effect, so you are limited to those drop off locations. This program is funded by the tax payers, so I do not see it expanding. In some other states, the pharmaceutical manufacturers are mandated to fund take-back programs and you can dispose of them at any licensed pharmacy or through the mail.

Another thing you can do to reduce pharmaceutical waste is to ask your doctor for a trial supply of a new medication to ensure you will not be disposing of 3 weeks worth if it does not work for you. Finish ALL of your antibiotics, and DO NOT flush them what ever you do. Last, call your state legislators and ask them to demand the pharmaceutical companies pay for a pharmaceutical take-back program in Washington.

Pharmaceuticals for Everyone!

The AP, astounded by its investigation in March of America's drinking water, recently decided to expand its study to more Metropolitan areas. In fact, many cities voluntarily tested their water after the initial statistics came out this past spring. The recent analysis found that over 46 million Americans are exposed to pharmaceuticals through their drinking water, and what's alarming is that some big cities, including New York City, declined to participate.

Seattle – you are safe. Lucky for us in the Northwest, most of our drinking water supply comes from snow melt in the mountains, including my well here at home. However for my brother in Huntsville, Alabama, he might start feeling a bit emotional with all the estrogen in the drinking supply, but it may be countered by the fluoxetine (Prozac) and other mood stabilizers found in Huntsville's water.

While I commend communities for being environmentally conscious by recycling their water, there needs to be a better way to eliminate the pharmaceuticals from the drinking water. While it's not going to affect you in one day, studies have not been done on the effects of constant exposure over time. Drugs metabolize differently and can build up in one's fat cells.

Scientists do not know if the pharmaceuticals are a result of drugs being metabolized by the kidneys and liver and excreted as number ones and twos in the potty, or if it's a result of the public directly disposing of drugs into the wastewater system (aka flushing). As a pharmacy technician, I feel it's probably a bit of both. Pharmacies do need to be more responsible in helping people dispose of drugs properly.

The Washington State Pharmacy Association recommends adding hot water to your unused pharmaceuticals and sealing them in a tight container which should then be thrown in the trash. However, when I do this at work, I always imagine a mangy dog digging through the trash, puncturing the vial and drinking all the old people medicine – ah yes, my guilty conscious at work. It would be interesting to see the volume of pharmaceuticals found in the fish and crustaceans off the coast of America's cities as well. Anyone want some shrimp?