The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) collected over 52 boxes of pharmaceutical medications during the first
DEC Long Island Pharmaceutical Take Back Day at healthcare facilities, DEC
Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. Twenty-five long-term healthcare
facilities throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties participated in the program,
which collects and responsibly destroys unused or expired pharmaceuticals.
"Health care facilities can produce large amounts of
expired or unused medications and many have few options for disposal,"
said Commissioner Martens. "The success of this collection by DEC is a
positive step that will help to protect the environment by preventing
medications from entering waterways. We are grateful to all the facilities that
enthusiastically agreed to participate in this event."
DEC received funding through the Environmental Fund for $150,000
to expand the program, which already exists in the New York City Watershed. The
program is designed to reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals that are
"flushed" by facilities and can end up in Long Island's groundwater,
bays and estuaries. Pharmaceuticals have been detected at low levels in New
York State waterways and Long Island's shallow groundwater.
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for
the Environment said, "We are thrilled that DEC was able to provide this
critical service, which benefits all Long Islanders and goes a long way toward
protecting Long Island's drinking and surface waters from pharmaceutical
contaminants. Giving health care facilities a safe and convenient
pharmaceutical disposal option has already reduced the number of institutions
flushing unused medications, and now participation in this program needs to be
expanded and strengthened in the future."
Participating facilities, made up primarily of nursing, extended
care and rehabilitation centers, began storing unused and expired medications
in October when they were first contacted by DEC. Environmental Conservation
Officers (ECOs) then visited each of the 25 facilities this week to collect the
stored medications and brought them to the Covanta Waste-to-Energy Plant in
Westbury, which volunteered its services to incinerate the products.
Prescription drug take back efforts began in the last few years. Prior to these initiatives the normal disposal practice was to flush unwanted drugs. With technological advances in analytical techniques, it is now possible to detect very low levels of drugs in surface water and groundwater. Some drugs pass largely unaltered through wastewater treatment plants and enter rivers and other waterways. Drugs from heath care facilities, pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities and farms can also find their way into the water.