Saturday, March 08, 2008

Return old pills to pharmacy, don't flush down the toilet: B.C. health minister

From CBC News:
Health Minister George Abbott says tossing old pills into the garbage or flushing them down the toilet can make animals, people and the environment sick.

He urged British Columbians on Tuesday to take their unused prescription drugs and medicine to a local pharmacist where they will be safely stored and disposed of at a later date.

Thousands of kilograms of medications are thrown out every year in British Columbia, Abbott said.

Old pills tossed in the garbage may be found by children or animals and they can end up leaching into ground water from local landfills, Abbott said.

And pills dumped down the toilet or sink end up in local sewage systems and some can find their way into drinking water systems, he said.
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