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 This week, the Associated Press reported the results of a
five-month-long inquiry that found trace amounts of pharmaceuticals
in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas --
from Southern California to northern New Jersey, from Detroit to
Louisville, Ky. (See
article.) Even though the U.S. Geological
Survey's research finds that the concentrations of unregulated
pharmaceuticals in drinking water supplies are likely far below
levels to prompt public health concerns, the governor directed the
Illinois EPA and the Illinois Department of Public Health to further
assess the effects of these substances on human health.
"Safe drinking water is the highest priority. Even though reports
indicate the concentration of unregulated chemicals found in the
nation's water sources was low, we can't take any chances. The
additional research we do now and the steps we take today will help
us further protect our health and the health of our children," said
Blagojevich.
While there are no federal standards regulating pharmaceuticals
in drinking water, the Illinois EPA will expand its testing of water
supplies through a partnership with the city of
Chicago to better determine the presence of such chemicals in the
city's drinking water. Illinois EPA will also offer testing to
communities downstream from wastewater treatment plants that may be
affected.
Within the next few weeks, Illinois EPA will begin collecting
samples of treated and untreated water from participating water
systems and will coordinate laboratory analysis to determine the
presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in drinking
water supplies. Both the Illinois EPA and the Illinois Department of
Public Health will review the lab results to assess any possible
risk to public health.
"While Illinois' drinking water is safe and there is no cause for
immediate concern, the Illinois EPA will assess the scope of the
presence of pharmaceuticals in our waterways to ensure that our
drinking water supplies are adequately protected," said Illinois EPA
Director Doug Scott. "We will also push for further study to
determine the health effects of low-level exposure to these
substances. At the same time, the Illinois EPA will continue to
offer safe disposal methods to keep the medications and other
products we rely on to improve our health out of our drinking water
supplies."
In addition to expanded testing, the Illinois EPA will continue
to push for more evaluation of the human health effects of
unregulated pharmaceuticals in drinking water supplies. At a Great
Lakes meeting planned for later this month in Indianapolis, the
Illinois EPA director will work with other Great Lakes state
environmental officials to call for more federal evaluation of these
chemicals. The Illinois EPA will assist the U.S. EPA in developing
any new regulations needed to protect public health under the
federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
The Illinois EPA will also expand a pharmaceutical disposal
program it launched last summer with several county health
departments to collect old and unwanted pharmaceuticals. As part of
the current pilot program, solid waste agencies in Kendall, Will,
Knox and McDonough counties and in Galesburg collect unused drugs
from senior centers, retirement complexes and convalescent centers
in their areas. The Illinois EPA provides the disposal containers to
the counties. Since the pilot program launched,
Illinois EPA has removed six 30-gallon drums of pharmaceuticals from
the environment through the four pilot programs.
The Illinois EPA will invite Cook County and Chicago to join the
collection program and encourage other county solid waste agencies
to create similar drug collection programs to prevent drugs from
being flushed down the drain and possibly ending up in drinking
water supplies. Illinois EPA will provide technical assistance to
any solid waste agency interested in creating such a program. In addition, Illinois EPA will continue collecting unused
pharmaceuticals at its household hazardous waste collections,
conducted across the state each spring and fall. (See
schedule below.) Residents are
advised to save all old or unwanted medications for an Illinois
EPA-sponsored household hazardous waste collection. At such an event
last year, seven 55-gallon drums of pharmaceuticals were collected
and properly disposed of.
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 The Illinois EPA advises people to not flush pharmaceuticals down
the toilet or pour them down the drain, because wastewater treatment
plants and septic systems are not designed to treat pharmaceutical
waste, and the drugs often end up in our waterways and ultimately in
our drinking water. Instead, residents should save old or unwanted
medications for an Illinois EPA-sponsored household hazardous waste
collection.
In the event that citizens cannot attend one of the agency's
household hazardous waste collections, four permanent household
hazardous waste collection facilities in Rockford, Naperville,
Chicago and Lake County also accept pharmaceutical waste. (See
below.) In
addition, many hospitals, pharmacies and police departments also
offer programs to collect and dispose of unwanted drugs.
To discourage illegal and unsafe ingestion of discarded
pharmaceuticals, the state encourages people to remove unused or
unneeded drugs from their original containers, mix them with coffee
grounds or kitty litter, and put them in nondescript impermeable
containers, such as empty cans.
For more information on the agency's household hazardous waste
collection or how to manage and dispose of prescription drugs,
please visit www.epa.state.il.us or call the Illinois EPA's Waste
Reduction Unit at 217-785-8604.
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Disposing of Unwanted, Unused Pharmaceuticals
Illinois EPA-Recommended Handling and Disposal Options for
Households
REDUCE pharmaceutical waste whenever possible.
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Use all antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor. Not using all
doses of an antibiotic could lead to development of
antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
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Buy an amount that can reasonably be used before the expiration
date.
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Ask your doctor to prescribe only enough to see if a new
medication will work for you and in the lowest dose advisable.
DISPOSE of the remainder properly.
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Whenever possible,
take your unused pharmaceuticals to a pharmaceutical collection
program or event. Illinois EPA sponsors household hazardous
waste collections. Scheduled collection events are listed at
http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/
hazardous-waste/household-haz-waste/
hhwc-schedule.html. Note: If you choose to store your waste while you wait for a
pharmaceutical collection event, please minimize the risk of
accidental poisoning or overdose by storing medications out of reach
of children or in a locked cabinet.
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If you dispose of your unused pharmaceuticals in the trash, be
sure to do the following:
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Remove or mark over all labels that identify the materials as
pharmaceuticals or that could provide personal information about
you, including prescription information.
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Render them unattractive to children and thieves by dissolving
them in a small amount of water or alcohol or by mixing or grinding
them up with coffee grounds or kitty litter.
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Put them in a secondary container or small plastic bag and hide
them in your trash.
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Never burn pharmaceuticals or personal care products in a burn
barrel. Uncontrolled burning can create dioxins and other toxic air
pollutants.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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