Say no to drugs in the environment

Proper disposal of medicine is very important. Finding it difficult to close the medicine cabinet lately?

The Snohomish County Partnership for Secure Medicine Disposal is teaming up with local law enforcement agencies to provide residents with a safe, ecologically sound option for clearing out pharmaceutical clutter.

Starting Dec. 1, residents will be able to drop off surplus and expired medication at the Stanwood Police Department and any Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office precinct.

In the past, discarding all unused medication down the toilet was thought to be an acceptable method.

Not anymore.

According to the Washington State Department of Ecology (WSDE), due to advanced techniques in testing, pharmaceuticals are now being detected in soil and water assessments.

Pharmaceuticals can enter the environment through septic tanks, sewers and landfills. Although wastewater treatment plants work to eliminate hazardous waste, most struggle to effectively eliminate pharmaceutical compounds.

Research studied by WSDE indicates a possible link between pharmaceutical compounds in waterways and certain behavioral and gender changes in aquatic wildlife. Effects on human health are currently being researched.

With a steady increase in pharmaceutical use among the general population, more unwanted medications may eventually find their way into the environment.

Proper disposal of medicine is a direct way people can prevent such pollution.

Environmental concerns, while important, are not the only reasons to properly ditch the drugs.

By taking advantage of the county’s program, people can protect vulnerable family members, such as children and the elderly, from accidental poisonings.

According to a study by the Washington Department of Health, unintentional poisoning death rates in Washington State have increased 395 percent between 1990 and 2006. From 2005-06, 63 percent of unintentional poisonings were attributed to prescription drugs.

As abuse of prescription drugs continues to be a problem throughout Snohomish County, eliminating unwanted pain medication from the home is another means for parents to steer their children away from drugs.

Pharmaceuticals accepted by the program include prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, samples, medicine for pets, vitamins, medicated ointments and lotions, inhalers and liquid medication in glass or leak-proof containers.

What will not be accepted: needles, thermometers, intravenous bags, bloody or infectious waste, personal care products, business waste, empty containers, hydrogen peroxide and aerosol cans.

Unlike similar take-back programs through pharmacies, the Partnership for Secure Medicine Disposal program will accept controlled substances.

For more information about the program, visit the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force Web site, www. srdtf.org, or contact your local law enforcement agency.