STOP! No drugs down the drain!
By Gary Bogue
Friday, October 3rd, 2008 at 7:03 am in Drug disposal, Drugs, Water.
Flushed drugs impacts aquatic wildlife
The California Legislature has proclaimed Oct. 4-11 “No Drugs Down The Drain Week” to educate you about pollution caused by flushing old and unwanted medication.
Why? Because drugs in waterways have a negative impact on fish and other aquatic wildlife.
Everyday in California, unwanted or expired medicine is disposed of down the toilet and flushed medication ends up in local waterways.
As chemical analysis has improved, wastewater treatment agencies now can detect even trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in rivers, bays and oceans that may have impacts to fish and wildlife. As a result, it is now necessary to work with communities across California to educate people about keeping medication out of your toilet and drains and disposed of safely.
To deal with this pollution issue a coalition of local, regional, state and federal agencies is conducting a one-week statewide effort to remind us that flushing down the toilet and/or pouring down the sink are not acceptable means of medicine disposal.
During this week the public will have access to various proper disposal options, with local agencies providing local recommendations such as special events, ongoing programs and trash disposal.
Disposal options are available on-line at http://www.nodrugsdownthedrain.org
With drug sales doubling in recent years and outpacing population growth, pharmaceutical waste has emerged as a major issue for the environment.
If dumping all these drugs into our waterways has bad effects on wildlife … it may also do the same to us humans. Not good! /Gary
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October 5th, 2008 at 9:05 am
what about the bigger issue of our waste water being dumped into rivers, bays and oceans? Most people are lazy and ignorant and just dump whatever they want to down the toilet – but is it right to allow that waste water into the bays and rivers? Shouldn’t that be a bigger issue?