Jun 28, 2006

WI - Unwanted prescriptions turning up in natural waterways

The Brown County collection is designed for residents with less than 2.2 pounds of unwanted pharmaceuticals, not for large-quantity medical facilities. The collected drugs will be incinerated.

"We don't want people flushing these drugs or pouring them down the drain until we know all the effects," Graffin said.

The effects of prescription drugs in the environment aren't well understood. Milwaukee's Great Lakes WATER Institute exposed fathead minnows to low levels of cholesterol-lowering drugs recently. After one night, the minnows were dying, said researcher Rebecca Klaper.

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