When pharmaceuticals such as prescription drugs, over the counter medications and vitamins are flushed down the toilet or disposed of improperly, they can end up in our water systems. Scientists report that the pharmaceuticals found in wastewater used for irrigation will stay in the soil for months. Antibiotics in groundwater affect the natural bacteria and antidepressants can find their way into stream waters.
After monitoring three sites in Colorado, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists published a study in a journal entitled, “Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry,” that reported pharmaceuticals in wastewater used for irrigation stayed in the soil for several months after seasonal irrigation stopped. In another USGS study in Cape Cod, Mass., antibiotics in groundwater were found to affect the natural bacteria. In Iowa, USGS scientists discovered antidepressants in fish collected over eight kilometers downstream of the location of the wastewater discharge.
“The molecular structure of medicines doesn’t break down,” explained Russell Mann, owner of Ponderosa Medical Waste Disposal. “Don’t flush anything down the toilet. You can take feces out of the water, but not grandma’s medicine.”
The Flagstaff-based company collects unused medicines and other medical waste from businesses throughout Northern Arizona. Mann transports the regulated waste 152 miles to Blue Hills Environmental Services in St. John’s in eastern Arizona, where the area’s caliche clay encapsulates the hazardous waste.
“Other places will cook it and grind it up,” said Mann, but he prefers the encapsulation method of disposal and does not incinerate any medical waste.
“Keeping pharmaceuticals out of the nation’s water supply has become an increasingly important topic amongst utilities across the country,” explained City of Flagstaff Utilities Director Brad Hill.
The hydrologist reported that pharmaceuticals and other compounds have started to show up in trace concentrations (parts per trillion) in wastewater locally. “While these compounds at such low concentrations are not regulated by the U.S. EPA, it is important not to flush unused prescription medication down the toilet to help minimize the chance of getting into our wastewater and water supplies.”
To keep household pharmaceuticals out of the local water system and to get unused drugs out of homes where they could be misused, the Flagstaff Police Department and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has installed a secure pharmaceutical collection drop-off box for:
- Residential Prescription Drugs,
- Expired Medications,
- Over-the-Counter (OTC), and
- Pharmaceuticals.
Northern Arizonans no longer have to wait for the semi-annual “Dump the Drugs Day” sponsored by the Citizens Against Substance Abuse.
The drop box is located outside and in the front of the Law Enforcement Administrative Facility at 911 E. Sawmill Road in Flagstaff. Community members may turn in unwanted medications anonymously. The collection box may not be used by physicians, businesses or any other commercial entity.
Yavapai residents can dispose of expired prescriptions and OTC medications at the Cottonwood Police Department at 199 South 6th Street in Cottonwood. Restrictions apply, so call 928-634-4246 for more information.
Physicians, businesses or other small generators of medical waste can contract with businesses like Ponderosa Medical Waste Disposal, which is licensed by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ Permit #TR061410.00) and the Coconino County Department of Health Services.
According to a press release from the Flagstaff Police Department and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, one very important thing everyone can do is to take medications as prescribed and finish the prescription when directed to do so by your doctor.
“If you buy a box of vitamins, then take them,” concluded Mann, who has 164 customers including Northland Hospice, the Flagstaff Fire Department and many veterinarians’ and doctors’ offices throughout Northern Arizona. “The chlorine [in water treatment plants] kills the bacteria but it doesn’t get rid of the compounds in medicine that percolate through water. The human body can change it, so you should take your medicine.” FBN
Citizens Against Substance Abuse
201 E. Birch #4, Flagstaff
928-779-5361
Ponderosa Medical Waste Disposal
1519 N Main St #109a, Flagstaff
928-774-5669
By Stacey Wittig