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Published on September 15th, 2008

250 Million Pounds of Medication Flushed Annually by Medical Groups

by Trey Granger

The Associated Press is continuing its investigation into pharmaceutical disposal, with the latest finding that 250 million pounds are being flushed each year by hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Because sewage treatment plants are incapable of filtering out this medication, at least 46 million Americans are seeing these drugs again . . . in their drinking water.

Action is being taken on a local level to help address this issue. Starting September 1, the state of California banned medical sharps (such as needles and syringes) from trash or recycling bins. As more locations surface to take care of this medical waste, many are also accepting outdated medication.

You can use Earth911 to find a Earth911’s Unwanted Medications section.

Trey Granger

Trey Granger

Trey Granger is a staff member at Earth911.com.

More articles by Trey


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  1. Medical Sharps and Recycling | Green Eco Services

    posted on December 11th, 2008 at 9:08 am

    [...] Earth 911 [...]

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