Why Dispose of Medications
in this Way?
 People
want to get unused medicines out of the house because
unwanted drugs stored in the household can be consumed
accidentally by children and others. Medications can be
scavenged from trash and sold illegally.
Current regulations are not set up to allow people to
get rid of medications in an environmentally-friendly
way. MedDrop raises awareness of the
problem and provides a solution for all Wisconsin residents.
Getting rid of medicines by flushing them down the
toilet isn’t the answer.
- An extensive
nationwide study by the US Geologic Survey has found
evidence of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics
and hormonal drugs, such as birth control pills, in
surface waters throughout the nation.*
- In Dane County,
the Geological and Natural History Survey found
acetaminophen and two hormones in water coming from
septic systems in a new Sun Prairie subdivision.*
- The Wisconsin
Laboratory of Hygiene discovered accumulations of
endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in drugs such
as birth control pills that mimic natural hormones
in water entering and leaving Madison’s sewage
treatment plant.*
- According to the
World Health Organization, antibiotics in water
supplies are a potential concern because the most
frequently used antibiotics are becoming less
effective as the infections they are designed to
combat become resistant. That resistance increases
with heightened exposure to the drugs.
- Research has shown
that drugs containing hormones are causing changes
and deformities in fish and other aquatic creatures.
More research still
needs to be done to determine the effect of long-term
human exposure, but the available research suggests that
we need to keep medicines out of our waterways.
* The Wisconsin State Journal, “Flushed drugs
polluting water,” December 10, 2006.
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