National Drug Collection Day on April 30, 2011

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will hold a National Drug Collection Day on April 30, 2011. This is a great way to get rid of unused, unwanted drugs, in an environmentally responsible manner. Last year’s NDC Day resulted in over 121 tons of drugs being collected! Find a collection site near you.

WERF Video: The Challenge of Trace Organic Compounds in Wastewater

Watch video highlights of eight presentations given during WEFTEC.2010 workshop W101, The Challege of Trace Organic Compounds (TOrC) in Wastewater: A Summary of the Latest Research from WERF and from Around the World. During the presentations, speakers discussed the latest TOrC research such as investigations of toxicology and risk, communication, and treatment of these compounds. The workshop featured WERF projects Trace Organic Compounds Removal During Wastewater Treatment (CEC4R08); Diagnostic Tools to Evaluate Impacts of Trace Organic Compounds (CEC5R08) and Communication Principles and Practices, Public Perception, and Message Effectiveness (CEC2C08).

In each of the four brief video segments below, presenters and WERF primary investigators Andrew Salverson and Tanja Rauch-Williams of Carollo Engineers give highlights from each presentation. The segments were filmed in October, 2010, at WEFTEC in New Orleans, La.

Watch videos at this link http://bit.ly/g2CwKm

Prescription For The Future?

On Wednesday December 1, 10 am EST -
Prescription For The Future?
The presenter is Herbert T. Buxton – U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Toxic Substances Hydrology Program Coordinator.

The second seminar in this series, examining the potential and realized impact of pharmaceutical products in the environment, will be presented via live internet video feed at 10 am EST on December 1.

There is no charge for attending this internet seminar but space is limited. To register contact info@wastewatereducation.org – or call 231 233 1806.

It will run until approximately 11.30am. The meeting will stay open for discussion afterwards.

The presentation is free to the public – you may attend via your own computer at home or office or can attend in person at the Benzie County Health Department – http://www.bldhd.org where the event is being sponsored by the Benzie County League of Women Voters. This option is offered for people who want to discuss the issue afterwards or don’t have a high speed internet service.

Content will be a review of recently completed and current research in progress, on the presence of, environmental and public health impact of, pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater, drinking, surface and ground water.

There is growing concern about the long term effects of PPCPs on human health and the natural environment – through a series of science based seminars WasteWater Education 501(c)3, seeks to provide some clarity to the risks involved.

What’s in Our Wastewaters and Where Does it Go?
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has implemented a national reconnaissance to provide baseline information on the environmental occurrence of “emerging contaminants” such as human and veterinary pharmaceuticals (e.g., fluoxetine and lincomycin), industrial and household wastewater products (e.g., p-nonyphenol and triclosan), and reproductive and steroidal hormones (e.g., equilenin and progesterone) in water resources. 142 streams, 55 wells, and 7 effluent samples were collected across 36 states as part of this national reconnaissance effort. A majority of the sites sampled were those suspected to be susceptible to emerging contaminants from animal or human wastewaters. This national reconnaissance of emerging contaminants is the first of its kind in the United States.
(Source: http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/whatsin.html )

Whether your drinking water comes from a private well and aquifer or via a municipal system; whether you have a private onsite wastewater system or connect to a municipal sewer; if you live by an ocean, a lake or a stream – traces of pharmaceutical products have been detected. When prescriptions and over-the-counter drug purchases now run in the billions annually it’s not surprising. The general misconception is that the body consumes the total dose – which is far from true. In addition, some municipal wastewater treatment process can increase the toxicity of flushed medications and cannot effectively remove them prior to discharge to a local lake or river.

Although the amounts are measured in parts-per-billion or million, what is the long term accumulative effect on people and the environment? USGS lead research attempts to provide some answers.
There is no charge for attending this internet seminar but space is limited.
To register contact info@wastewatereducation.org – or call 231 233 1806.

The first seminar in this series, Al Alwan, Ph.D.Water Quality Branch, Water Division, Environmental Protection Agency Region 5: Alternative Approaches to Address Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCP) Environmental Fate . – may be viewed at this link. -http://www.wastewatereducation.org/eventsarchive.html

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Water environment Association of Ontario has recently released an update of the 2001 Report: ”Fate and Significance of Selected Contaminants in Sewage Biosolids Applied to Agricultural Land Through Literature Review and Consultation with Stakeholder Groups”

Here is a link to the 2010 Report:

2010: Assessing the Fate and Significance of Microconstituents and Pathogens in Sewage Biosolids (PDF 2 MB)

Update of the 2001 WEAO Report on Fate and Significance

The Residuals & Biosolids Committee is responsible for working with the provincial government, other political jurisdictions and pertinent associations to promote discussions, information exchange, education and best management practices on biosolids processing and beneficial reuses.

National Take-Back Day

On Saturday, September 25 10am-2pm several regional law enforcement agencies will participate in the National Take Back Day for unwanted pharmaceutical products. The National Take-Back Day provides an opportunity for the public to surrender expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications for destruction. These drugs are a potential source of supply for illegal use and an unacceptable risk to public health and safety. See: www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/takeback/ for a local collection point.

This event is meant to focus attention on the growing concern about prescription abuse and illegal diversion but of equal concern is the increasing evidence of pharmaceutical and personal care products finding their way into surface and drinking waters and the wastewater industry’s efforts to advance technology to mitigate that.

Thursday, September 23, 10 am EST online lecture: Al Alwan, Ph.D.Water Quality Branch, Water Division, Environmental Protection Agency Region 5

On Thursday, September 23rd at 10 AM EST, Al Alwan, Ph.D.Water Quality Branch, Water Division, Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 will present a web based seminar on Alternative Approaches to Address Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCP) Environmental Fate.
The list of Rx and PPCP products continues to grow with raised concern that little is understood about their cumulative impact on humans or the environment. Wastewater treatment is evolving to try to keep pace with the ever increasing cocktail of compounds but the immediate need is to identify which compounds to monitor and at what level.

There is no charge for attendance but space is limited. Please contact Dendra J. Best. Executive Director Wastewater Education 501(c)3 231-233-1806 or
info@wastewatereducation.org to make a reservation.

The main theme of Dr. Alwan’s seminar is to propose risk-based management at the watershed level and identifies a Five Tool Alternative Approach making use of GIS mapping using actual watershed case studies.

Treating Contaminants of Emerging Concern – A Literature Review Database

EPA is releasing the results of an extensive literature review of published studies of the effectiveness of various treatment technologies for contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The results of this literature review are available in a searchable database. EPA also is releasing a report that discusses some of the results of the literature search, including removals of specific CECs across common wastewater treatment technologies.

National Drug Takeback Day Planned By National Association of Attorneys General

In a different but complementary effort to reduce the risks and problems caused by the accumulation of unused prescription drugs, the DEA has
initiated a collaborative effort to organize a nationwide day for collection of unused prescription medications on Sept. 25. The national “takeback day” will allow people who want to get rid of unwanted prescription drugs to comply with the law because DEA expects a multitude of state and local law enforcement authorities to participate in programs. The hope is for state Attorneys General to encourage local law enforcement to participate in the nationwide initiative. To further the planning for the national event, DEA expects to contact state Attorneys General in the near future.
www.naag.org/drug-takeback-programs-national-day-planned.php

National Community Pharmacists Association has launched a “Dispose My Meds” campaign.

Of the more than 4 billion prescriptions written yearly, it is estimated that some 40% go unused.
That’s about 200 million pounds of meds—including those in liquid form.
To help dispose of unused medications properly, the National Community Pharmacists Association has launched a “Dispose My Meds” campaign. More than 800 community pharmacies in 40 states have signed on. Participating pharmacies will send them to a medical-waste-disposal facility. Or you can get a postage-paid envelope from the pharmacy and mail the drugs from your home.

Go to DisposeMyMeds.org for details and to find a pharmacy near you.
http://www.disposemymeds.org/index.php/pharmacy-locator

Manufacturing Facilities Release Pharmaceuticals To The Environment. June 7, 2010

Pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities can be a significant source of pharmaceuticals to surface waters, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted in cooperation with the State of New York.

Outflow from two wastewater treatment plants in New York that receive more than 20 percent of their wastewater from pharmaceutical facilities had concentrations of pharmaceuticals that were 10 to 1000 times higher than outflows from 24 plants nationwide that do not receive wastewater from pharmaceutical manufacturers.

“This is the first study in the U.S. to identify pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities as a significant source of pharmaceuticals to the environment,” said Matthew C. Larsen, USGS Associate Director for Water. “The USGS is working with water utilities to evaluate alternative water treatment technologies with the goal of reducing the release of pharmaceuticals and other emerging contaminants to the environment.”

SOURCE: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/PMFs.html

Drugs in Drinking Water: New Report Explores Emerging Great Lakes Threat, Solutions

Recent testing of Lake Michigan water has found pharmaceutical byproducts in the water, raising concerns about the potential health threats to people and wildlife for anyone getting drinking water from the Great Lakes: Reference Alliance For The Great Lakes

A new Alliance report calls for more research into the long-term effects of drugs in drinking water and points out the absence of tools available to limit their entrance into the lakes.