A colorful array of more than 100 pounds of medical drugs were dropped off at the Civic Center Saturday, assuring they will not end up in Marin's waterways and the bay.
"We have seen everything: psychotropic drugs, vitamins, pet medicines, it's a lot of different stuff," said Rick Vasquez, president of Integrated Waste Control, who helped with the event.
More than 80 people came by to turn in their pharmaceuticals, part of a statewide "No Drugs Down the Drain Week." The pink, blue, red, green, while and other colored pills and containers will be sent to Utah and burned for energy.
"It's a great program to keep these things out of the bay," said Ruth MacDougall of San Rafael, who dropped off a bag of old pharmaceuticals with her father, Herbert. "It helps clear the cupboards, too."
Drugs can end up in the bay via wastewater, and researchers have found that even extremely diluted concentrations of pharmaceutical residues harm fish, frogs and other aquatic species in the wild. Related research finds that human cells fail to grow normally in the lab when exposed to trace concentrations of certain drugs.
"It is something we are aware of," said Judy Schriebman, director with the Las Galllinas Valley Sanitary District. "And as Marin gets older there will be more prescriptions and more pills."
How do the drugs get into the water?
People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet.
Other times unused pills are simply flushed down the toilet in whole. While wastewater is treated before it is discharged into the bay, treatments do not always remove all drug residue.
Earlier this year an investigation by the Associated Press showed trace amounts of a vast array of pharmaceuticals - including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones - were found in drinking water supplies across the country. Officials at Marin's biggest water districts have found no pharmaceuticals in drinking water.
Marin is among the leaders in the state in disposing of pharmaceuticals properly, according to the county's Environmental Health Services department. The department has been working on the issue for the last five years and has established several sites around the county where drugs can be disposed of...
