What to do with unused or expired pharmaceuticals is a growing concern in a number of states including Idaho. We have begun to realize that a surplus of unused or expired pharmaceuticals can adversely impact our environment, lead to increased drug abuse, and contribute to accidental poisonings.

• Our Environment: When drugs are flushed down the toilet or poured down the drain, they directly enter our environment. Medicines in wastewater currently cannot be removed by treatment plants, and they end up in our lakes, rivers, and streams. Over 80% of waterways tested in the U.S. show traces of common medications such as acetaminophen, hormones, blood pressure medicine, codeine, and antibiotics.

Studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that water bodies contaminated with medications can adversely impact aquatic life. Studies have linked hormone exposure to reproductive defects in fish, and environmental exposure to antibiotics to the development of drug-resistant germs.  Fortunately, scientists have found no adverse impacts on human health to date.

• Drug Abuse: When unused or expired prescription drugs sit in the medicine cabinet, they become too easily available and appealing to potential drug abusers, especially young adults and youth. The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that nonmedical use of prescription drugs is second only to marijuana use among persons 12 years of age and older and that prescription drug abuse is increasing at an alarming rate.

• Accidental Poisoning: Here again, medications left unattended can have tragic consequences, especially among very young children. Over the past several years, EPA has conducted a public outreach campaign to increase awareness of the danger of accidental poisonings to children by pesticides and household products including prescription and nonprescription drugs. Especially when there is a risk of accidental poisoning, overdose or diversion, it is better to dispose of household pharmaceuticals than to hang onto them.

Businesses that create larger quantities of pharmaceutical waste such as hospitals and other medical care facilities are encouraged to contract with a reverse distribution system whereby they can return and receive credit for unused or expired pharmaceutical products or to subscribe to a collection service that will haul non-hazardous pharmaceuticals to an incinerator. A guide to responsible management of pharmaceuticals by may be downloaded from the web site of Practice GreenHealth, a national organization committed to sustainable, eco-friendly practices by the healthcare community, at www.practicegreenhealth.org.

In September 2008, DEQ hosted a Pharmaceutical Waste and Disposal Workshop to hear experts present information on pharmaceutical waste disposal and to enable participants to contribute ideas and suggestions on what should be done to address pharmaceutical waste in Idaho. Due to budget cutbacks, however, efforts to facilitate development of a pharmaceutical take-back program in Idaho have been put on hold until economic conditions improve. In the interim, citizens are encouraged to safely dispose of unused pharmaceuticals by following the procedures specified above.

Drugs in our Water: Prevent Pollution, Dispose of Medicines Safely

(Teleosis Insitute Brochure: pdf 209 kb, 2 pages)

Oregon Pharmaceutical Take Back Stakeholder Group Final Report: Executive Summary (pdf)

(Oregon DEQ Web site)

Pharmaceuticals

(Product Stewardship Institute Web site)

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs)

(U.S. EPA Web site) 

Proper Disposal of Prescription Drugs

(Office of National Drug Control Policy Web site)

Washington’s Unwanted Medicine Return Program

(State of Washington Web site)