EPA Studies Impact of Pharmaceuticals Disposal on Water
The Environmental Protection Agency is studying how unused medications are disposed by the health care industry, and what risks the disposal of pharmaceuticals has on water.
As part of its efforts, the EPA is working with the National Academy of Sciences to see what health impacts can occur from pharmaceutical residues in drinking water.
The study will also cover:
- The potential existence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in fish and natural bodies of water
- Establishing water quality criteria to protect aquatic life
- The existence of PPCPs in sewage sludge and wastewater
The EPA considers this a big enough environmental issue that in April the EPA’s Great Lakes office set a goal of collecting one million pounds of pharmaceuticals for proper disposal.
Find out where you can properly dispose of PPCPs using Earth911.
