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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.
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