Prevent placing pharmaceuticals in Travis water system

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Brian Sassaman and Lt. Col. Jeffrey Snyder
  • 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and 60th Diagnostics and Therapeutic Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  A recent flood of investigative reports by the Associated Press and other media outlets has confirmed the presence of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supply of numerous major cities throughout the United States.

Although minute amounts of prescription and over-the-counter drugs are likely in all water systems nationwide, drug contamination of these water supplies most likely occurred when unwanted medication was improperly disposed of - either directly down the toilet or sink - or when people take their medication, which is then passed through the body naturally and flushed away.

However, this wastewater is treated before being discharged into rivers and lakes where it dilutes or filters back into the water table naturally, where it can once again be taken in, cleaned at water processing facilities and used for the drinking water supply.

In order to ensure your tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency and the state of California prescribes numerous regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.

All drinking water - including bottled water - may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. However, the presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate drinking this water poses a health risk. Water provided by the Travis public water system is safe to drink and meets all requirements set by the Safe Drinking Water Act.

So, what should you do with your leftover prescriptions? In the state of California, the appropriate way to handle leftover prescription medicine is through these four steps:

1.) Remove and destroy all identifying personal information (prescription label) from the medication container or use a marker to black out personal information,

2.) Crush solid medications or dissolve them in water -- this applies for liquid medications as well,

3.) Mix the medication with kitty litter, sawdust or any material that absorbs the dissolved medication, thereby making it less appealing for pets or children to eat, and,

4.) Place the contents in a sealed plastic bag before disposing in the trash.

There is one exception to the steps provided above. Because of the potential for diversion or abuse, controlled drugs like Percocet should still be flushed. Additionally, prescription vials of controlled drugs have a bright red or yellow auxiliary label that reads, "Caution: Federal law prohibits the transfer of this drug to any person other than the patient for whom it was prescribed." Otherwise, it is no longer appropriate to flush medications down the toilet because it contaminates our water supply and negatively impacts our environment.

For more information concerning the water quality at Travis, contact the David Grant USAF Medical Center's Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight at 423-5490. If you have questions about proper medication disposal, contact the DGMC Pharmacy at 423-71