Medicines down the toilet

Monday, April 9, 2007 | 7:32 a.m.

One question that puzzles environmental and public health officials is the impact discarded medicines have on our nation's waterways. You probably would not want to wade in a river if you knew that your ankles could be surrounded by chemical residue from discarded birth control pills, antidepressants and painkillers. It just doesn't sound healthy.

So it was not exactly comforting to learn, as reported by Cornelia Dean for the New York Times News Service , that the U.S. Geological Survey found that 80 percent of 139 streams it has studied since 1999 contained drug residue. Last summer the agency discovered "intersex" smallmouth and largemouth bass in the Potomac River and its tributaries that were male but carried immature eggs, Dean wrote.

Many chemicals get into our waterways because people often flush unused drugs down their toilets. Scientists say they don't yet know whether drinking water supplies are threatened by this phenomenon, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

The Clark County Coroner's office, to its credit, came to that conclusion after fielding concerns from county officials and the public. The coroner's office intends to change the way it discards prescription medication from homes where it is called in to investigate fatalities. For more than 20 years that office has followed the standard industry practice of taking an inventory of the deceased's medications and flushing them away.

Starting as early as this week, Coroner Michael Murphy said, his office plans to place unused drugs in sealed envelopes and store them in the coroner's vaults. Then, the company AET Environmental of Las Vegas will come in every three to four months to place the drugs in large barrels where the medication will be rendered useless through a process known as adulteration. The barrels will then be transported by truck for incineration and disposal in Utah.

The small price the coroner's office will pay, about $350 a barrel, will be worth it because it will remove potentially harmful chemicals from our waterways.

The Clark County Water Reclamation District offers sage advice. Dispose of unused drugs in their original containers by placing them in other empty containers and then in a bag that should be deposited in the garbage.