MWRD Adds 4th Collection Site to National Drug Take-Back Day

April 26th from 10am to 2pm is National Drug Take-Back Day. The purpose of the day is to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs. The MWRD's wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to remove pharmaceutical products if they are poured down a drain or flushed down a toilet. The chemicals can work their way into lakes and streams. The impact of those chemicals on the waterways and aquatic life is a concern this agency continues to grapple with. At this point there are no easy solutions, but I'm committed to seeking out innovative, cost-effective ways to treat those chemicals in our treatment process. In the meantime, one easy, convenient way to combat unwanted drugs in our water  is to encourage proper disposal of unwanted medicines. That's why every year to prevent and reduce accidental contamination of streams, rivers, and lakes, the MWRD joins the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's national prescription drug "Take-Back" initiative. The MWRD will have four collection sites this year:

• Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, 6001 W. Pershing Road, Cicero
• North Side Water Reclamation Plant, 3500 Howard Street, Skokie
• Calumet Water Reclamation Plant, 400 East 130th, Chicago
• Egan Water Reclamation Plant, 550 S. Meacham Rd, Schaumburg IL

Additional information about the collection can be found here and here.

Articles of Interst

Check out this article on MSNBC about medicines in our water.

Samuel S. Epstein, author of Toxic Beauty, writes about the dangers of triclosan a common ingredient in anti-bacterial soap. Read his article here.

Supreme Court again rejects injunction in Asian carp case. Read it here.

New legislation to protect water quality

Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation that asks state officials to take proactive steps toward combating the threat of trace amounts of pharmaceuticals and other hazardous chemicals detected in our waterways. The law requires the Illinois EPA to establish programs to educate the public on the proper disposal of household hazardous waste and to provide places to dispose of household hazardous waste. Read about it here.

What's in our Water?

As I've expressed before, pharmaceuticals in our waterways is an issue that should not be ignored and needs more research. Check out this article in the Tribune about drugs in our water.

Pharmaceuticals in our Water

This article talks about how State Senator Susan Garrett, D-29th, of Lake Forest invited representatives from various governmental agencies including the MWRD to discuss the growing concern over pharmaceuticals in our water.

This issue of pharmaceutical chemicals winding up in our water bodies is something that I have been concerned about as well. Sewage treatment plants are not designed to fully remove drugs from treated water. Therefore, chemicals from the drugs pass through sewage treatment plants and are released back into our water bodies. Research has shown that these chemicals can cause reproductive and developmental problems in fish and other aquatic wildlife. The exact threat to human health from pharmaceuticals in our water supply is not fully known, but it is something we should continue to research and be cognizant about.

One way to help combat this issue is to properly dispose of unused and expired medication. Pharmaceuticals end up in our waterways when we flush or trash old medication. You shouldn't flush old medication down the toilet or drain or put old medication in the trash. Drugs thrown in the trash can also affect the aquatic environment by leaching into landfills and winding up in our groundwater.

Cook County has numerous permanent medication disposal locations where you can take your medications to safely dispose of them. Click here for a list of disposal locations.

Other organizations and governmental agencies such as the MWRDGC hold hazardous waste collection events where they collect medication and other hazardous material and dispose of them for you. Click here for a schedule of upcoming events.