In East Hampton, Safely get rid of old prescriptions on Sept 29

Instead of dumping medications – prescription or over-the-counter – down the sink or flushing them, which puts them into the water supply – National Take Back Day allows you to give them to law enforcement officials who safely destroy them.

On Saturday, Sept. 29 the East Hampton Police Department and Local Prevention Committee will participate with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in a nationwide Take-Back Initiative of pharmaceutical substances and other medications.

This national initiative gives the public an opportunity to get rid of prescriptions and other medications by giving them to law enforcement representatives that will destroy them.

Besides getting these medications out of your house – where they may be vulnerable to theft by teens , burglars or others – the Rx Take Back day is an alternative to pouring these medications (prescription or over-the-counter) down the drain or flushing them away (which puts them in the local water supply) or putting them in the household trash where they could be found by children or animals.

Concerning water contamination, findings in an investigation by the Associated Press included these:

Some drugs, including widely used cholesterol fighters, tranquilizers and anti-epileptic medications, resist modern drinking water and waste water treatment processes. Plus, the EPA says there are no sewage treatment systems specifically engineered to remove pharmaceuticals.

One technology, reverse osmosis, removes virtually all pharmaceutical contaminants but is very expensive for large-scale use and leaves several gallons of polluted water for every one that is made drinkable.

Another issue: There’s evidence that adding chlorine, a common process in conventional drinking water treatment plants, makes some pharmaceuticals more toxic.

Instead of dumping your unused medications, then, you can hand these items over, no questions asked, in any kind of container (i.e. a plastic sandwich bag, a jar, the original Rx container with the label removed or with information blacked out with a permanent marker).

The drop off location will be in the upper parking lot of the East Hampton Town Hall, 20 East High Street, East Hampton, CT from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The last Rx Take-Back Initiative was very successful with over 60 pounds of medication turned in for destruction.

Questions?  Please call the East Hampton Police Department at (860) 267-9544.

Posted September 28, 2012 – based on a press release, links and video added by HTNP Editor Brenda Sullivan

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