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The West Virginia Rivers Coalition is making a difference! Help support the “Stop Fish Kills in the Potomac Watershed Campaign” so we can develop effective solutions to address these tragic problems.
The Issues At Hand
1. In 2003 USGS found sick and dying bass with the anomaly intersex - male fish producing eggs - in the Potomac River that supplies drinking water to the Nation’s Capitol. No cause has yet been identified, but a 2006 USGS analysis of the water in the Potomac found many EDC contaminants that may prove to be the basis for this latest problem.
2. We can all agree EDC contaminants such as high and mixed levels of pharmaceuticals (as well as other consumer and non-consumer products) entering our drinking water is not the future we want for our citizens, nor is it a safe one. The problem? The lack of consumer knowledge and education about EDC’s and their effects.
For too long consumers have been told what to do with their waste, such as flushing their unwanted medicines down their toilets, thinking it to be the correct and non-harmful thing to do. But studies have found this just isn’t so. Now millions of Americans are unaware of the problem that exists, or if they are, they simply do not know what to do to be a part of the solution, even though they may want to.
What are endocrine disruptors or EDC’s?
Manmade chemicals that can mimic a natural hormone, fooling the body into over-responding to the stimulus, responding at inappropriate times, blocking the effects of a hormone and causing overproduction or underproduction of hormones, according to EPA.
How does this relate to humans?
Biomonitoring shows that our bodies are filled with EDC’s. Plus we humans - in the products we buy and in the actions we take - are contributing to EDC pollution. But we can make a difference. We can moderate or change our behavior, by looking at some products containing EDC’s and alternatives to our current actions.
Pharmaceuticals - Medicine Problem Chemicals
There are several types of products that contain EDC’s. But one of immediate and growing concern is found in multiple pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical wastes present both wastewater and solid waste management issues.
1. Antibiotics - Tetracycline, doxycycline, sulfonamides, etc.
These substances are a few of the more familiar EDC antibiotics. Use, misuse or overuse of antibiotics may result in the development of antibiotic resistance by the infecting organisms and render them ineffective.
2. Steriods - Steriods include estrogen, progesterone, and androgen and no one needs to be taking someone else’s but might if steriods are in the drinking water.
The Problem
Currently, residents are often instructed to flush unwanted pharmaceuticals down toilets, leading to potential contamination of surface waters, ground waters, and biosolids, and resulting in exposure to aquatic organisms. When residents dispose of pharmaceutical products in the garbage, these products present potential safety risks to the general public and to the ecology of the river system.
The Proposal
West Virginia Rivers Coalition (WVRC) and the Potomac Water Watch (PWW) are teaming up to help find a solution. A solution to consumer education, and a solution to proper disposal of pharmaceuticals. We believe that local Pharmacies could be an important part to that solution. Pharmacies can make a difference in the way we do and see things as consumers, and as medical professionals with a duty that serves beyond the counter-top.
What is the Solution?
In simple terms: Any and all unwanted pharmaceuticals from households could be taken back to any pharmacy. This would include pharmaceutical pills, capsules and tablets, vitamins, medicated ointments, cough syrups, antibiotics, and inhalers—which are either over-the-counter, prescribed or controlled substances.
Residential users, school districts, childcare facilities, hospice patient’s families, hotels, and nursing homes. They all have one thing in common. Everyone at one point, sometimes more than others, makes use of pharmaceuticals and will have unwanted pharmaceuticals to dispose of.
A take-back program with Pharmacies would allow people to deposit these medications into secure containers on specified event dates. Other projects around the country have already initiated programs just like these, such as the Product Stewardship Institute, with positive effect. The secure containers are securely tracked from collection to disposal, but individual medications are not inventoried. From there final disposal occurs at an incinerator which meets all necessary environmental, destruction, and safety requirements.
Public Education: WVRC and PWW need your help to educate the public on the issues of EDC’s and pharmaceuticals in our waterways. We propose an educational graphic/pamphlet be used on all pharmacy bags that provide consumers with not only the knowledge about EDC’s and what they mean to them, but also encouraging them to bring their unwanted medicines back to pharmacies for proper disposal. Educational pamphlets and start up kits could be taken and left at all doctor’s offices, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and beyond to encourage customers and nursing homes to use the take-back program.
With a secure take-back program, and community wide education of the issues at hand with EDC’s (and pharmaceuticals) - we will make a positive impact and change in the harmful ways that we are affecting our watersystems. But we can not do it alone. The consumer looks to you, it’s respected medical professional to help them in all matters with their medications. From prescription and handout, all the way through to proper disposal. Please consider our plan and benefits handouts, and why not only you are necessary in helping to implement these things, but how you will benefit from doing so.
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