x24,Top3,TopLeft,x25,x12
solar backpack
a discovery company

Dispose of Unwanted Medication Safely

Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA

Jasmin Malik Chua

By Jasmin Malik Chua
Jersey City, NJ, USA | Sun Mar 23 17:21:00 GMT 2008

Unwanted medication


Unknown.

READ MORE ABOUT:
Biodegradable | Fish | London | Organic | Waste Disposal | Water

Flushing your unpopped pills down the toilet can cause more than plumbing problems. Because sewage plants are designed to treat biodegradable organic waste, and not pharmaceuticals, the chemicals in consumer products can slip past treatment and remain in the effluent that spills into the lakes, rivers, or the ocean, as well as in the heavy sludge that is used as landfill cover or as fertilizer in farmland.

In fact, studies of fish in waterways near Lake Mead in Denver, and in London's Thames River have revealed reproductive abnormalities thought to be a result of concentrations of endocrine-disrupting chemicals from birth-control pills and other flushed or dumped meds. Instead of flushing down expired and unwanted pills, check if your city organizes safe-medicine-disposal days, or contact your local pharmacy for assistance. An organization known as The Starfish Project also accepts leftover antiretroviral drugs for redistribution to clinics in Nigeria.

Learn more about gender-bending chemicals in our water at TreeHugger.

Difficulty level: Easy

 
  • email
  • digg
  • share
  • print
helpful article? vote for it
{ }
close window

CLOSE X

 

comments on this article

view all post a comment

 
 

from our partners

 
 
Emeril Kelly and Supper Club Recipes by Category
 
 
facebook twitter rss
 
Reel Impact
 
Quiz
 
organic-az
 
Less is More Thanksgiving
 

tv schedule

view all

On Now

On Tonight

 

today on planet green

view all

Votes

recent
discussed

Emeril's White Sangria
POSTED  7 HOURS AGO.  COMMENTS

{ }

Show Off Before You Give: Submit Your Best DIY Holiday Gifts
POSTED  7 HOURS AGO.  COMMENTS

{ }

Emeril Green Episode: Full Circle Farming
POSTED  8 HOURS AGO.  COMMENTS

{ }

Vote for the Best Agent of Change in the BBC World Challenge '09
POSTED  9 HOURS AGO.  COMMENTS

{ }

Emeril's Poblano Chili Stew
POSTED  9 HOURS AGO.  COMMENTS

{ }

Ask Emeril Your Green Cooking Questions
POSTED  7 Apr 2009. 48 COMMENTS.

{477}

How To Go Green: Lighting
POSTED  23 Jul 2008. 7 COMMENTS.

{214}

Should You Get a Flu Shot?
POSTED  1 Oct 2009. 3 COMMENTS.

{19}

Renovation Nation FAQ
POSTED  7 May 2009. 13 COMMENTS.

{142}

Do Zoos and Captive Breeding Really Help Endangered Species or Address Habitat Loss?
POSTED  23 Oct 2009. 4 COMMENTS.

{28}

 
 
TLC Cooking
 

Ads by Google