Randy Tuchtenhagen, Solid Waste Officer

Again, this month it&8217;s about our health and living with good health. Researchers have detected PPCPs in samples collected from U.S waterways. PPCPs are pharmaceuticals and personal care products and have been found in medications for pain, depression, colds, birth control pills, caffeine, hair products, cleaning supplies and pesticides. Some of these products contain endocrine disrupting compounds and other contaminants that researchers fear may harm aquatic life. One of the largest sources of PPCPs was found to be wastewater treatment plants from human excrement and flushing unused medications into the drain.

One thing is for certain, it is no longer recommended to flush expired medications down the sink or toilet. Sewage treatment plants weren&8217;t designed to remove these chemicals, and drugs are showing up in our surface and groundwater.

Let&8217;s review again the proper disposal method for unused or expired drugs: Keep drugs in their original container. Scratch out patient information. Place liquids in glass bottles into plastic re-sealable bags. Add water, vinegar or pepper to tablets or capsules and dissolve slightly. Triple bag and place in the trash.

In the past few years we have all seen the increased use of bottled water. It&8217;s not that our drinking water is unsafe, but has been more of a convenience thing to be able to take a cold bottle of water from the refrigerator to drink. But herein lies a new problem to our health. Our desire to have safe water sources has been so strong, new and sophisticated methods for monitoring and detecting pollutants have been developed. I found some interesting information about protecting our health, recycling and what can be re-used.

Certain chemicals are proving to be harmful to humans, such as those used in the production of plastic food and beverage containers. Naigene bottles made of polycarbonate No. 7, Lexan, or specifically bisphenol-A or BPA is an endocrine disruptor that mimics estrogen and has been linked to chromosomal disruption, miscarriages, birth defects or obesity if they enter the body.

The No. 3 plastic, vinyl, PVC and PVC film can contain DEHP or DEHA and may contain softening phthalate linked to liver and kidney damage and testicular problems. Also, polystyrene, No. 6 is made from styrene and we don&8217;t want that in our bodies either.

Now this is not to say we should not be eating or drinking from food and beverage containers from these plastics, but rather how we use them. So at what point do they become dangerous? Answer: When we use them in a manner they were not intended. Heating in the microwave or reusing them over and over causing them to deteriorate and break down, leaching chemicals along the way.

They are &8220;one use&8221; containers and should be recycled after that one use.

Plastic is safe if we do not stretch the life beyond the intended purpose. Plastic is a non-renewable resource, manufactured in an energy resource intensive manner. It does not biodegrade and worse yet, when we use plastic containers over and over (instead of the single use it was meant) they can become scratched or start to degrade, harboring some serious bacteria. Glass and ceramic containers do not have these traits.

So let&8217;s review what is good and how we can take responsibility for our health and that of our family.

Dispose of pharmaceuticals by altering their further use, triple bag them and place into the trash bin for disposal. Do not put pharmaceuticals into your drain or sewer system. For good health, drink lots of water and pick food and beverage containers made from glass, ceramic, or plastics No. 2, No. 4 or No. 5. Minimize the use of plastics No. 1, No. 3, No. 6 and No. 7. Also do not reuse plastic containers unless they are labeled for reuse (drinking cups, plates) and never never put plastic into the microwave unless it is labeled as microwave safe.

Randy Tuchtenhagen is the Freeborn County solid waste officer.