Update re drugs in water
Eric Goldstein, co-director of the Natural Resources Defense Council‘s Urban Program, tells me there are actually fifteen health-care facilities that discharge into the watershed, all of them under investigation by Watershed Inspector General Phil Bein, who is — along with the NRDC — exploring options to insure that all health facilities in the state dispose of pharmaceuticals properly. Says Goldstein, “We are also examining whether to propose legislation that would establish pharmaceutical take-back programs at drug stores around the state.”
To learn more about instituting pharma take-back programs, visit this website of the Product Stewardship Institute. Read about Washington State’s take-back program here.
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In the context of national health care reform, I have to wonder how many of these drugs could be eliminated altogether with a proactive approach to health care, which is really healthy living. What does the precautionary principle indicate in these circumstances? I don’t expect an answer – I’m just wondering.
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