Fiscal Note
No appropriation is required at this time. The role of Public Health will be to perform planning, including the identification of strategies and partners and the determination of funding requirements. No fiscal impact is anticipated regarding development of the plan. Implementation of any plans in the future may require funding, which would be requested as needed in future year budgets.
Title
Developing a program for on-going collection and disposal of household pharmaceuticals in Madison and Dane County.
Body
WHEREAS, the disposal of unused household pharmaceuticals is a public health, public safety, and environmental issue. Unwanted, unused prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines can be found in every household in the city. Un-needed medicines in the house can pose a threat to children and others who may accidentally or intentionally take them. Flushing medicines down the toilet or drain, or putting them in the trash is hazardous for the environment,; and,
WHEREAS, research supports the need for an effective approach to collecting and disposing of un-used medications:
• An extensive nationwide study by the US Geologic Survey has found evidence of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics and hormonal drugs, such as birth control pills, in surface waters throughout the nation.
• The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene discovered accumulations of endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in drugs such as birth control pills that mimic natural hormones in water entering and leaving Madison’s sewage treatment plant.
• According to the World Health Organization, antibiotics in water supplies are a potential concern because the most frequently used antibiotics are becoming less effective as the infections they are designed to combat become resistant. That resistance increases with heightened exposure to the drugs.
• Studies conducted throughout the country have uncovered pharmaceuticals in drinking water, and the negative effects of these substanc...
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