By Paul Swiech
BLOOMINGTON – Five McLean County pharmacies are accepting unused prescription and nonprescription medicines for proper disposal in an expansion of the Livingston County program to keep leftover drugs out of the water supply.
Mike Novario, director of pharmacy at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, said the following are accepting leftover medicines during regular business hours: Eastland Pharmacy in OSF’s Eastland Medical Plaza I, Bloomington; Atrium Pharmacy at BroMenn Regional Medical Center, Normal; Merle Pharmacy, Bloomington; Chenoa Pharmacy, Chenoa; and Doc’s Drugs, LeRoy.
“Our goal is to keep medications out of our water supply,” Novario said Monday. “My hope is that we’ll have more pharmacies participate.”
“Now people (in McLean County) don’t have to worry about where to take their medicine,” said Paul Ritter, the Pontiac Township High School science teacher who began the Pontiac Prescription Drug Disposal (P2D2) Program in Livingston County with fellow teacher Eric Bohn and their students in January.
Individuals may bring their medicines to participating pharmacies, even if they didn’t buy the medicines there, Novario and Ritter said. Patients are asked to black out their names on the prescription labels but to leave the name of the medicine exposed.
Controlled substances – usually strong painkillers such as codeine, morphine, hydrocodone and oxycodone – will not be accepted by the pharmacies, nor will needles, syringes or thermometers, Novario said. Plans for collecting and disposing of controlled substances still are under consideration.
Pharmaceuticals – including antibiotics and antidepressants – have been found in most waterways tested nationwide because people have disposed of leftover drugs by dumping them down the drain or flushing them down the toilet. Because that water contributes to our water supply, scientists are concerned that trace amounts of medicines are in our drinking water.
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is taking care of the cost of transferring and disposing the drugs, Novario said. Veolia Environmental Services will transport and dispose of the waste at one of two bulk medication incineration facilities, he said.
The program’s expansion to McLean County kicked off with a P2D2 Green Day event Saturday outside St. Joseph. Collected were a 55- gallon barrel full of liquid medicines and ointments, a nearly full barrel of tablets and capsules, and a half-barrel of controlled substances collected by the Bloomington Police Department, Novario said.
“I am thrilled by the number of people who came out and handed over their non-used medications,” Novario said. “My guess is this is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Ritter said that 32 pharmacies are collecting medicines in 11 counties.
(c) 2008 Pantagraph. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Comments