Refrain From the Drain!




http://www.fumacare.co.nz

Spring cleaning is just around the corner!  Can’t you just smell the lemon-scented cleaner? The crisp sound of a brush on tile?? Okay…if deep cleaning isn’t on your list, surely de-cluttering is: getting rid of clothes you haven’t worn in years, make-up that’s out of style, prescription meds that are expired. Lock on those tossing brakes…about those prescription meds…

Prescription medication use in the U.S. is on the rise.  Not necessarily a bad thing; it’s great that we have the technology to develop drugs that help fight infections, treat diseases, and speed up healing.  The downside to having such an availability of pharmaceuticals is how they get disposed of.

Pharmaceuticals have consistently been showing up in water.  Not just rivers and streams…but in our drinking water, too.  The concentration of these pharmaceuticals is VERY low (in the parts per trillion), but we need to be more proactive so we don’t have to worry about this becoming a very serious problem. Because, it can and will!

http://www.blm.gov

We are already seeing the harm from pharmaceuticals in our wildlife.  Aquatic organisms like fish and frogs are extremely sensitive to these things.  Pharmaceuticals can cause embryo mortality, neurological damage, even feminization of males/masculinization of females.

 

http://beta.hellawella.com

So, what are you going to do during your spring cleaning to help prevent prescription meds from getting into water??  Go online and find your nearest disposal facility.  There is one in every major community of Salt Lake so do it before or after your drop off your clothes at DI.  And, tell a friend!  The more people know, the more we can do to protect ourselves and our water.