Columbus Public Health to Host Drug Drop–Off Day -- 4.22.2015
Media Advisory
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Contact
Jose Rodriguez, Columbus Public Health, 604-5025
Columbus Public Health to Host Drug Drop – Off Day
Unwanted or Expired Medications Collected in Drive Through on Earth Day, April 22
WHAT:
Drive through drug collection event for unwanted or expired prescription and over-the-counter pills, prescription patches, vitamins or pet medications in dry or pill form. (Liquids, gel caps, ointments/lotions, inhalers, aerosols, needles/sharps and thermometers will NOT be accepted.) *Any identifying medication labels will be destroyed.
WHO:
Columbus Public Health
WHEN:
10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, 2015
WHERE:
Columbus Public Health
240 Parsons Ave., Columbus
MORE INFO:
Columbus Public Health’s Office of Environmental Protection and Sustainability, which works to increase awareness of the link between the quality of our environment and human health, is collecting unwanted and unexpired medications because they can be a threat in the home.
Each year, more than 500,000 children under age 5 are exposed to pharmaceuticals in a potential poisoning event, and as of 2005, emergency department visits by young children for medication poisonings exceeded those for motor vehicle occupant injuries. Additionally, 42 percent of teens who have misused or abused a prescription drug obtained it from a parents’ medicine cabinet and almost half of teens who misuse or abuse prescription medicines got them from a friend.
Likewise, pharmaceuticals flushed down the toilet can end up in the water system where they can harm the aquatic ecosystem. Medicines thrown in the trash also can eventually make their way into ground and surface water.
The Columbus Public Health drug drop – off day will help ensure that unwanted and potentially harmful substances are removed from homes and disposed of properly to protect health and improve lives in central Ohio. This program is a partnership with the Columbus Police Department.
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