DRUG TAKE-BACK PROGRAM PROMOTES CLEAN DRINKING WATER IN
COUNTY

Bins For Volutary Medicine Drop Off Are Found At Both Dillon And
Breckenridge City Market Pharmacies

SUMMIT COUNTY - To promote pharmaceutical-free drinking water in
Summit County, a voluntary Take-Back Program is collecting unwanted
medicines at local City Markets. The program kicked off in early
December, and it's placed "take-back" bins at both Dillon and
Breckenridge grocery stores.

"No one should flush prescriptions and other unknowns down the
toilet," said Lane Wyatt, the administrator for the Summit Water
Quality Committee. "Unquestionably, it's being detected in the
environment."

The Take-Back Program was launched in response to pharmaceuticals
being part of an emerging group of chemicals - including medicines and
personal care products like lotions, shampoos, soaps and cosmetics -
that scientists are studying in water around the country. It's thought
that unused and unwanted prescription drugs - including
contraceptives, antibiotics, antidepressants and common painkillers -
may already be having an impact on aquatic ecosystems by disrupting
endocrine systems in fish.

"As a topic, social pollution - how our lifestyles are affecting the
environment - is something that people are getting concerned about,"
Wyatt said. "(The program's purpose is) to get a better understanding
of the issue, and how personal habits affect the environment."

Where are the bins? Though it's unknown how much unwanted medicine has
been collected in the county since December 2009, Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) project manager Jean MacKenzie said take-back
boxes in Summit County are likely nearing capacity.

They haven't been emptied yet because they aren't full, she said. A
bin can hold up to 100 pounds of medicine.

"We purchased bigger boxes for Summit County so the hazardous waste
transporter doesn't have to come as much," MacKenzie said. "I'm not
sure of the exact amount in there."

According to High Country Conservation Center staffer Jenny Stein, the
pharmaceutical bins at local City Market pharmacies can be hard to
spot.

"People should ask a pharmacist if they can't find them," Stein
said.

The Take-Back Program is made possible by a partnership between the
EPA, the Summit Water Quality Committee and High Country Conservation
Center. MacKenzie said the Summit Water Quality Committee is paying
for two years of waste collection, the EPA donated the collection
boxes, and High Country Conservation Center is handling all
educational aspects of the program. Summit County is the only mountain
town involved in the program - other areas on the Front Range are
participating, too.

How to dispose of narcotics Take-back bins cannot accept narcotics,
controlled substances, needles or medications from clinics, hospitals
or nursing homes. A specialized disposal company, Curbside, Inc., will
collect, shred and incinerate the medications in a licensed facility.

St. Anthony Summit Medical Center however is doing a narcotics and
pharmaceuticals collection at the Rotary 9 Health Fair set for April 3
at Summit High School.

"We can only take controlled substances when the sheriff is present,"
said pharmacy director Amy Hurwitch. "Bring medications in its
original container and remove personal information."

For more information about the Rotary 9 Health Fair narcotics
collection, call Hurwitch at (970) 668-6997. To learn about the local
pharmaceutical take-back program, call the High Country Conservation
Center at (970) 668-5703.

Photo caption:

A man covers his nose to keep out the stench from the polluted Iska
Vagu stream in Patancheru, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, India,
Friday, March 28, 2008. Indian factories that make lifesaving drugs
swallowed by millions worldwide are creating the worst pharmaceutical
pollution ever measured, spewing enough of one antibiotic into a
stream each day to treat everyone living in Sweden for a work week.
The industrial zone on the outskirts of Hyderabad is home to a
hodgepodge of plants making everything from tires and watches to
paints and textiles, but dominated by drug companies.