Beyond the thorny problem prescription medicines pose in drug abuse, traces of the meds show up in drinking water supplies.
To fight both issues, the federal government began National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days in 2010, when individuals could drop off unwanted meds at thousands of collection sites across the U.S. In eight Take-Back Days, the Drug Enforcement Administration reports that people have turned over more than 2,100 tons of expired, unneeded and unwanted prescription medicines, which the DEA then incinerates.
The final Take-Back Day will be Saturday and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District will accept medications from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at three facilities: the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant in Cicero; O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant in Skokie and Calumet Water Reclamation Plant on 130th Street in Chicago.
After Saturday, federal regulations that take effect Oct. 9 will allow people to give the meds to authorized collectors, including drug manufacturers, pharmacies, and hospitals and clinics with pharmacies.
People in the Chicago area have turned over more than 1,500 pounds of medications since the first Take-Back Day, MWRD spokeswoman Allison Fore said.
And, while the amount of pharmaceuticals in water supplies is unknown, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research shows that some of those medications can inflict ecological harm.
However, the EPA said, “To date, scientists have found no evidence of adverse human health effects from (pharmaceuticals and personal care products) in the environment,” the EPA states on its website.
The harm that prescription drugs can inflict is clearer.
A total of 22,134 people died in 2011 from overdoses of prescription medications, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. The 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicated that about 6.5 million Americans abuse their medications — a decrease from the previous year but more than double the cumulative number of people using heroin, cocaine, and hallucinogens such as LSD and Ecstasy.
The survey also showed that the vast majority of prescription medicine abusers obtained the drugs from family and friends.
More Top Picks Le Beau Paradise Garden Jean Paul Gaultier For Men
Twitter @tgregoryreports