Recently an online Onsite Installer story sparked a debate about the impact medications — either excreted by patients or excess prescriptions flushed down the toilet — had on septic systems.
Writer Sara Heger, Ph.D., of the Onsite Sewage Treatment Program in the Water Resources Center of the University of Minnesota, shared some startling statistics about the rise in prescription medication usage. She reports that nearly half of Americans have used at least one prescription drug in the past 30 days, 23 percent used three or more over that period, and 12 percent used five or more.
She talks about the anecdotal impacts of these medications filtering through onsite systems and small amounts seeping into freshwater sources. She says certain prescription drugs have been shown to wreak havoc on the beneficial bacterial action of a septic tank and shares clues installers and pumpers can look for to determine if a customer has a toxic tank condition that needs attention.
A TOXIC PROBLEM?
A poster took Heger to task, challenging her to publish scientific evidence of the dangers of prescription medications passing through a decentralized wastewater system. “Without data, this article is useless,” the poster wrote. “What meds? What dosage? What effects? While anecdotal stories may be true, this is 2018. Articles like this seep into the culture and become policy.”
True to the harsh nature of social media responses, the writer’s toxic reply went on. The writer did have a point, and Heger allowed scientific research about the impact of medications on septic systems is lacking. However other writers chimed in to back up Heger, saying what installers and pumpers find in the field supports that medications are disruptive to wastewater treatment.
Even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seems conflicted on its recommendations for disposing of millions of pounds of unused prescription medications. While the FDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say there are serious concerns about flushing prescription drugs into wastewater systems, its recommendation is that flushing some toxic drugs remains a better option over letting the drugs sit around where they may be accidentally ingested.
In its paper, Risks Association With the Environmental Release of Pharmaceuticals on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Flush List, the agency talks about evaluation of 15 medicines it recommends flushing when there isn’t safer disposal method available. It states:
“FDA concluded that these medicines present negligible risk to the environment, although some additional data would be helpful for confirming this finding. FDA believes that the known risk of harm, including death to humans from accidental exposure to certain medicines, especially potent opioid medicines, far outweighs any potential risk to humans or the environment from flushing these medicines.”
Information on the FDA flush list can be found at www.fda.gov/downloads/drugs/resourcesforyou/consumers/buyingusingmedicinesafely/ensuringsafeuseofmedicine/safedisposalofmedicines/ucm337803.pdf.
TURN IT POSITIVE
I’d like to move beyond the social media sniping and turn the complaint into something positive for our Installer community.
Let’s start by recognizing we need more valuable research on the impact of medicines in septic systems and the environment beyond the dripline. Let’s also recognize many wastewater professionals are presenting anecdotal evidence that onsite systems are threatened when users are under heavy medication to battle dreaded illness such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. All of these are scourges for stricken people. … And their situations are made even worse when their onsite systems show signs of failure.
The point is that we can make a difference for onsite customers and the environment by attacking the problem of fast and efficient disposal of unused medications. And I have a personal story that may help start a few conversations.
Two years ago I sadly lost my mother at age 90 to a combination of terrible illnesses including breast cancer and heart disease. As doctors treated her to slow the cancer and treat her symptoms, she was prescribed dozens of medications, including pill-form chemotherapy, blood thinners, and pain pills. After she passed, I started collecting the bottles of unconsumed pills, which literally filled a plastic kitchen garbage bag.
About that same time, as a city council official I was involved in the approval of a local collection of prescription medicines as part of a National Prescription Drug Take Back Day through the Drug Enforcement Administration. Our police chief wanted to set up a collection site to securely hold unused prescription drugs until they could be taken for incineration, thought to be the most effective method of disposal.
By taking that big bag of pill bottles to the police department, I was able to prevent them from getting into the wrong hands, going to the landfill, or getting flushed into the wastewater stream. I felt like I was doing something good for the environment and my neighbors. And I think installers can share in that feeling and help their customers at the same time.
TAKE BACK DAY
The DEA’s next Prescription Drug Take Back Day is later this month, Oct. 27, where medications that might otherwise be flushed down the toilet can be taken to about 6,000 participating collection sites across the country. Earlier this year, the last Take Back Day set a record by collecting nearly 475 tons of unused prescription drugs. Since the program started in 2010, the DEA has collected almost 5,000 tons for safe disposal.
Some concerned groups are already taking part, such as the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council in Michigan, which promotes working with the Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Drop-off Program, or POD.
“Our water supplies are growing evermore contaminated with medications. Flushing medicines down the toilet or putting them in the garbage can contaminate our water resources,” Jennifer McKay, the council policy director, says in a recent news story. “Most of these chemicals pass through treatment plants or septic systems. Sewage treatment plants and septic systems are not designed to treat all the substances contained in medications.”
McKay asserted that chemicals accumulate in rivers, lakes, and groundwater, potentially threatening wildlife and making it into drinking water.
So what can we in the onsite installing community do to help?
Join forces with local law enforcement officials
Check with the police in your area and see if they are involved in the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Program. If they are, look for ways to help the effort. If they’re not, offer to help spearhead a local collection. Support from individuals and groups is often needed to get these programs off the ground. There may be necessary investments in secure drop boxes or additional labor to run the collections. Your company could offer a financial contribution, or you could donate your time to raise awareness of the importance of these programs in the community.
Stress “no flush” with your customers
As part of your system maintenance program, sit down with customers and share the many reasons they should dispose of prescription drugs properly. Talk to customers about their situations and be mindful of suggestions if they are taking a lot of medications for illnesses. Pay attention to conditions you find that would indicate a toxic onsite system.
Put together a brochure with information from the FDA and the DEA and give it to your customers. Pass along this information at septic socials or other consumer education events. Meet with your local health department officers and offer to work with them on an education campaign. Address the issue through blogs on your company website and look for other outreach opportunities.
PART OF THE SOLUTION
Promoting safe collection of unused medications would be a winning cause for installers, your customers, and the greater community where you live. Being at the forefront of environmental awareness, you will become a more trusted provider of wastewater services. Sharing what you know about medications and how they can impact onsite systems will help your customers maintain their systems properly. And working with local officials reflects well on your focus on both environmental sustainability and public safety.
