DEC to collect unwanted pharmaceuticals

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October 10, 2009

Anonymous The Press Republican Sun Oct 11, 2009, 12:05 AM EDT

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RAY BROOK — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will hold seven collection events this month to encourage the proper disposal of unused and unwanted household pharmaceuticals.

The collections will take place between Oct. 19 and 24 in communities throughout the state as part of DEC's Don't Flush Your Drugs campaign, to raise awareness about the impacts of drugs in wastewater.

"Nationally, pharmaceutical contamination of our waterways is emerging as a potentially significant environmental problem for aquatic life and public health," DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said in a news release.

Staff from DEC's Pollution Prevention Unit, environmental conservation officers and regional offices will be collecting the pharmaceuticals.

DEC will be holding two collection events in the North Country Wednesday, Oct. 21:

8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at DEC Region 5 Headquarters, 1115 Route 86, Ray Brook. Contact Rich Wagner at 897-1241 for more information on this collection.

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the DEC Region 5 Office at 232 Golf Course Road, Warrensburg. Contact Gus Carayiannis at 623-1238 for more information on this collection.

Sharps and mercury thermometers will not be collected.

Residents who can't make it to the collection sites can get information about how to safely dispose of drugs by checking the Web site www.dontflushyourdrugs.net initiative.

Pharmaceuticals can reach waterways from a variety of sources, including the flushing of unused drugs by households and institutions, discharges from drug-manufacturing facilities and from drugs that pass through our bodies relatively unchanged and are flushed into sanitary sewer systems.

Typical wastewater treatment is not designed to remove pharmaceuticals.

The federal government is studying the impacts drugs may have on water quality.