Dispose of expired, unused drugs Saturday at Hy-Vee in Perry

0
1409
Expired or unused medications can be safely disposed of Saturday, Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Perry Hy-Vee. The Perry Police Department will collect the discarded drugs.

Perry-area residents with expired or unused medications can safely dispose of them Saturday, Oct. 28 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Perry Hy-Vee.

The Perry Police Department sponsors the annual collection of discarded drugs.

There is no need to remove the drugs from the packaging. Needles and inhalers will not be accepted.

Take-back for prescription drugs are organized and closely monitored by local, state and federal government agencies, ensuring the proper disposal of the drugs in accordance with federal law. The dangers are improperly disposed drugs are various.

A growing concern across the U.S. is prescription medications being taken from medicine cabinets or the trash by those who abuse drugs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 7 million Americans over the age of 12 reported abusing prescription medications in 2014.

Approximately 60 percent of people who abuse prescription painkillers indicate they obtained the prescription drugs from friends or relatives for free, often taking the drugs without permission.

Children or pets may ingest undisposed or improperly disposed medications. This can lead to overdose, injury and even death.

Many people believe flushing or simply throwing away drugs is the best way to dispose of them, but the drugs can contaminate the ground and waterways if not disposed of properly. Wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove or process many compounds found in medications. Instead, when flushed or put in a landfill, the drugs are discharged into our surface and ground water.

Pharmaceutical contaminants in water have been shown to cause serious harm to fish and wildlife living in and near rivers and lakes. Humans can also be exposed to these chemicals when they drink water drawn from contaminated bodies of water or eat wild game or fish. The long-term human health risks from exposure to even very small amounts of these chemicals is not yet known.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.