Blog Action Day: The Environment

Last night while catching up on blogs, I discovered today is Blog Action Day. Today, thousands of bloggers are writing on the topic of the environment. I wanted to take a moment to share something that I have shared in part once before.

the following is from the 9/3/07 issue of Drug Topics:

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in cooperation with APhA and federal agencies announced earlier this year new guidelines for consumers to dispose of unneeded prescription medications. The guidelines replace the old recommendation of flushing all medications in a toilet or sink. According to ONDCP, consumers should:

• Take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers


• Mix the prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, such as coffee grounds or cat litter


• Put the mixture in an empty can or sealable bags and throw in the trash


• When possible, return prescription drugs to pharmaceutical take-back locations


• Some drugs particularly prone to diversion still should be flushed, including Actiq (fentanyl citrate, Cephalon), Daytrana Transdermal Patch (methyphenidate, Shire), Duragesic Transdermal System (fentanyl, Alza), OxyContin Tablets (oxycodone, Purdue Pharma), Anvinza Capsules (morphine sulfate, King), Baraclude Tablets (entecavir, Bristol-Myers Squibb), Reyataz Capsules (Atazanavir sulfate, BMS), Tequin Tablets (gatifloxacin, BMS), Zerit for Oral Solution (stavudine, BMS), meperidine HCl tablets, Percocet (oxycodone/acetaminophen, Endo), Xyrem (sodium oxybate, Jazz Pharmaceuticals), and Fentora (fentanyl buccal tablet, Cephalon)

More from Drug Topics:
"Prescription drugs are showing up in our water systems, though the long-term impact is not well understand. Beginning in the 1990s, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started to examine the occurence of certain pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment. Since then, EPA, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) have found the existence of a broad range of unexpected compounds in the water, including caffeine, acetaminophen, erthromycin, fluoxetine, and albuterol."