Pharmaceuticals in the Wabash River
You can tell that we are a society that takes a lot of legal drugs by watching TV advertisements or opening the nearest magazine. Commercials for anti-depressants, antacids and a host of other remedies for ailments are readily available. What happens to these prescription and over-the-counter drugs that we bring home? What should we do with any leftover medication or expired vitamins?
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products are a new class of pollutants within our streams. Antibiotics, fungicides, cholesterol-lowing drugs, anti-inflammatories, anti-depressants, hormones, and fragrances have been found in waters throughout the country. In even extremely low concentrations, some of these products can negatively impact aquatic communities within streams and rivers resulting in reproduction issues, behavioral changes, and altered embryo development. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products have been found downstream of wastewater treatment plants and animal farms across the United States.
How Do Pharmaceuticals Enter Our Waters?
Discharges from wastewater treatment plants, runoff from cropland, and septic systems are the main sources of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in bodies of water. They are either excreted in full or as metabolites from humans and livestock or directly deposited as excess medication is flushed down the drain. Because these drugs are manufactured to combat specific human diseases, they tend to target specific human tissues and functions. Since most of these targets are well-conserved across organisms, they can negatively impact non-target species such as fish. Often these compounds create sluggish activity in fish, feminize male reproductive organs, or reduce appetite. The potential for these products to target Wabash River fish species is of high concern. However, there is not any current information on the presence or concentration of these pollutants in the Wabash River.
What We are Doing?
Water quality samples were collected bi-weekly from the West Lafayette Wastewater Treatment Plan and from Little Wea and Little Pine Creeks. Samples were collected for one year from March 2010 to February 2011. Samples were analyzed for a variety of compounds including synthetic hormones, anitbiotics, and antidepressants. Small fish were collected from Little Pine and Little Wea Creeks and their tissue was analyzed for the presence of some of these compounds.
Funding for this study is provided by the Indiana Water Resource Research Center (IWRRC) and the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources signature areas - Partnering for Land Use Sustainability (PLUS).
Final Phamaceuticals in the Wabash Report
What Can You Do?
For years, we've been told to flush unwanted medicines down the drain. However, our wastewater treatment process is not designed to filter or break down these substances. As a result, these materials enter our streams and rivers untreated harming fish and bugs living in those aquatic environments. Pharmaceuticals thrown in the trash can leach into groundwater posing a potential threat for pets, wildlife, and young children. This means that incineration is really the only option for removing these materials from our environment. In order for your pharmaceuticals and personal care products to be incinerated, they must be disposed of correctly. The following entities offer free pharmaceutical and personal care drop off throughout the year:
- City of Lafayette and City of West Lafayette Police Departments access pharmaceuticals and personal care products year around. Visit any police station to drop off these materials.
- Wildcat Creek Solid Waste Management District accepts non-controlled substances daily from 9 am to 5 pm.
- Walgreens offers a mail-in program with envelops available for purchase at any Walgreens. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products are mailed to an incineration facility.
- Marsh Pharmacies offers a drop off program once per quarter. The next scheduled drop off will be posted here and at Marsh's website - visit www.marsh.net/pharmacy for details about their next drop off.
Want More Information?
Visit Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant's Unwanted Medications Page
Review the latest research at USEPA's PPCP Research Page
Identify locations where pharmaceuticals can be disposed across the country at www.disposemymeds.org