[WATER FALLING]
♪ ♪
I can't even remember
when exactly my interest
in preserving and maintaining
the environment
became a very integral part
of my functioning,
but it was
very early on.
And I think a lot of it had
to do with my appreciation
for what we had up here,
up north,
and our integration
with this environment
and utilization
of the resources we have
and an understanding
that we had a call
to preserve that
and to protect that.
I love my city.
We all love our city.
We're all here.
We have to care
about our water.
We have to keep
our water clean.
I love to go out
to the RiverFront
on the RiverWalk.
It's beautiful down there,
and down in Hart Plaza.
It's really nice;
a great view.
When you think of all the ways
that we use water...
obviously, to cook,
to bathe, to recreate in.
But the most intimate use
of water is we drink it.
We consume it.
How careful we are about
so many other elements
of our life --
about what we eat,
how much sun we are
exposed to --
and obviously one thing
we probably overlook
or we don't think
deeply enough about
is the very water
we are drinking.
And is it safe,
is it clean,
is it free of chemicals
that can ultimately harm us?
♪ ♪
You know, I've always
been concerned
about the environment
and issues that affect me
and affect the beautiful natural
resources that we have.
But I also consider myself
a very practical person.
I ran an environmental
education camp
to get kids out in nature,
to encourage them to,
you know, be concerned
about their environment,
be aware of it, and obviously
to take care of it.
We care about clean water
because it creates
healthy human beings.
And we at the trout farm
are raising trout.
We want to raise
a healthy product
that we sell to people.
We also care about
our environment.
Every ounce of water
that comes through our farm
also leaves our farm.
We are stewards of that
and take that very seriously.
When I look at this
issue of proper disposing
of pharmaceuticals,
I view this from the viewpoint
of not only a mom
but a health professional.
I am a nurse and I am a
nursing instructor as well.
You know, you see these
things in the newspaper --
pollution here, pollution
there, drugs in our water --
and I really didn't pay
a lot of attention to it,
quite honestly,
at that point.
Oftentimes, families would say,
"Can you please take care
of these medications
that we have
that we used for our loved one
and we really don't want them
in the home anymore,"
and would actually ask me
to get rid of all of their
outdated, expired, unneeded,
unwanted medications
that they would have.
And due to their lack
of knowledge, they tend
to just stockpile
these medications
or they flush 'em down
the drains,
pour 'em down the sink,
you know, and that can be
very dangerous;
just leave 'em lying around.
A kid could ingest it,
a pet, anything like that.
Standard practice at
that time was to flush
any controlled substances
down the toilet,
obviously, so that they would
be completely removed
from the home.
And otherwise, just throwing
everything else in the garbage
and mixing it with cat litter
or with coffee grounds
or something.
Where does all that go
and how is that affecting
the water that we're drinking
out of a glass right now?
A lot of people
are surprised.
If you go and tell a person
that there's Ibuprofen
and Acetaminophen and birth
control medications
in that stream,
they act surprised.
I was so absolutely surprised
that in this country
in 2007, 2008 there was
so little being done
on this issue.
We keep up on the literature
and there was papers
coming out of Europe
where there are
some heart medications,
other pharmaceuticals
were showing up in European
water, water resources.
And that really kind of put
a light bulb up for us
that, thinking about
the U.S. perspective,
we had no idea
what pharmaceuticals
or contaminates emerge concern
which include hormones,
plasticizers, things we use
in our daily lives;
really had no idea if those
compounds are even present
here in the U.S.
Certainly if they're in Europe,
one would think,
no reason to think they
wouldn't also be in the U.S.,
but we had no data
to confirm that.
So we started this
national reconnaissance,
kind of a national assessment;
looking at streams
we thought we'd most likely
find these compounds.
So we did 130 streams
across about 30 states,
so really make sure
we captured different geography,
different hydrologic settings,
different climate
and looked for about
90 different compounds.
And so, what we found is above
the waste water treatment plant,
there's, the mass of fish
is less
but it's better diversity
where downstream here,
if you just looked
at the mass of fish,
there's a lot of fish,
particularly carp
and so forth,
tolerant species
that can handle,
say the nutrient load
that's coming in here
and the other contaminants.
It's going to take some
time before the research
is all completed,
but what we do know sends
a message that there are
clearly some concerns
on these low levels
that we're seeing in our
drinking water supplies,
in our lakes, rivers,
and streams,
basically in the Great Lakes.
We're very concerned
with the chemicals,
pharmaceuticals,
personal care products,
and pesticides that end up
in our water systems
and our waste water
treatment plants
are not designed to treat
such chemicals in the water.
The safety of the
drinking water supply
in Alpena and elsewhere
in the state of Michigan
is regulated,
highly regulated.
We monitor continuously.
As a plant that's operating,
we're constantly monitoring.
We're collecting
Bac-t samples.
We know that the water
is safe to drink.
We don't know what the impact
of small concentrations
of various chemicals is going
to be in the long-term.
Now, the plants themselves,
they're not doing
anything wrong.
They're not out
of compliance.
You know, they're doing
what they've always
been intended to do.
They're removing bacteria.
They're removing nitrates.
But these pharmaceuticals
and these emerging
contaminants
were just never part
of the equation.
Fisheries are being impacted
in ways where the fish
are developing feminine
features as a result
of the endocrine disruptors
that are part
of the pharmaceutical releases
that we're seeing
throughout the world, actually.
So in this lab setting,
we are using
very low concentrations
of pesticides and chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, and
exposing it to daphnia,
which are water fleas.
And these species are
keystone species
and they would affect
the entire ecosystem
because higher animals, fish,
would depend on them.
And in this lab setting,
we're actually seeing
a lot of behavioral effects
on daphnia exposed
to very low concentrations
of pharmaceuticals.
There have been studies
in Europe that are showing
impacts to amphibians
as well and frogs.
You know, it has an impact
that is showing
in the environment already.
And as we see this continued
throughout time
and possibly seeing
the levels increase,
we could see
even greater impacts.
So the first concern
would be am I getting
unintended exposures
to pharmaceuticals
by consuming fish
that have been exposed
to these compounds
either through a waste
water treatment plant
or other potential sources.
Also, in terms of sport;
if there's an impact
to the fish
and fish populations,
they may not be able
to catch the big lunkers
or even the types of fish
they want
because the environment
has been impacted
from these exposures.
So when you throw it
in the garbage,
it's going to go
to the landfill
and we're doing
a study right now,
we've done a national
landfill leachate study,
and it's showing
that these compounds
are in the leachate.
And a lot of times,
particularly in
modern landfills,
the leachate is collected
and what happens to it?
It's brought back to the
waste water treatment plants.
So it may be a slower
process to the plant,
but it's still a pathway
that's going right
to the plant.
And are you
solving anything?
Certainly you are in terms
of safety, for misuse,
but it's still...
I'm not quite sure we're
really solving anything
in terms of preventing
environmental contamination.
There should definitely be
programs where we can collect
these pharmaceuticals.
That would be extremely
helpful to preserving
our ecosystem
and our environment.
I think what a lot of the
states are doing, though,
are they're making sure
that a couple of messages
are coming out.
One of the bigger
messages is safety.
And just having unused
pharmaceuticals in your home
are a significant problem.
At the same time that
we were formulating
our own plan
of how we could deliver
such a program
to our communities
and while we were
thinking of and concerned
very directly with
the environmental impact,
particularly our water,
another issue was coming
to the surface
in our communities,
and that is illicit drug use.
We know that in 2012,
nationwide,
one out of four teens
reported that they had misused
or abused prescription
medication.
So it's a significant issue.
We also know that
of that group,
over 40% of those teens
indicated that they got
the medication from
the family medicine cabinet.
So that accessibility
is an issue that we need
to address.
So our question was: Can we do
something about this?
Our first step was really
to look and see if people
had recourse at all.
Were there options
for individuals;
and frankly, no, not in
the area where we live.
The option was,
as we discussed before,
flushing down the toilet
or throwing into the garbage.
And that was a standard
protocol at the time.
There were truly
no other options.
♪ ♪
So in choosing a name
for our organization,
because we are the
Great Lake State in Michigan,
that seemed like
a natural go-to.
So the name of our
organization became
Great Lakes Clean Water,
although we understand
and we understood at that time
and even more so now
that this isn't just a problem
limited to
the Great Lakes area.
Early on, we recognized
that because the prevention
of prescription drug misuse
and abuse was our agenda,
we recognized that individuals
who make up the communities
of our Great Lakes,
they have different
priorities and values.
We're a real diverse group.
And so we looked
to other partners
who had the same end goal,
which was to create awareness
for the need for
appropriate disposal,
the creation of sustainable
and accessible disposal sites.
And we found our partner
with Great Lakes Clean Water
Organization.
So we began to brainstorm
about what would be workable.
And we had many
different concerns.
Number one, we wanted
whatever course we took
to be something that would be
very available to people,
that would be safely done,
that would be safely controlled,
and that the individuals who
were dropping medications off,
if there were going
to be drop-off points,
could be assured
that their medications
were being disposed of
properly.
In the research in
designing the program,
we had to do some research.
Okay, once you collect
the unused, unwanted drugs,
what is the best way
to dispose of them?
And actually, back then,
we didn't know.
We had to do the research.
At that time, EPA didn't
have a position on it.
Most state regulatory agencies
did not have a position
on properly disposing
of unused, unwanted drugs.
High temperature incineration,
at that point,
was recommended by the
World Health Organization
as the most environmentally
and thorough way
of destroying unused,
unwanted drugs.
We're taking our waste in
and creating steam
and electricity and energy
from a waste stream.
Same with this.
Instead of contamination,
it's a good thing
for the environment.
Everybody should
be doing that.
That's why we enjoy
partnering
with Great Lakes
Clean Water.
Make sure that the drugs
are managed in a way
that they can't be reused
any further
and then get them
to an incinerator,
and a lot of it goes to
a couple of incinerators
that are in Michigan,
basically,
that provide that type
of service.
So out of Great Lakes
Clean Water organization,
we formed the particular
drug collection program
called Yellow Jug Old Drugs.
We wanted something
that would be unique
and memorable and very visible,
so a yellow jug
is very visible.
We took this issue then
to local pharmacist
and actually invited, I think,
about a half a dozen of them
to talk about this,
to talk about
what could be done locally.
We had some ideas and we
wanted their ideas as well.
We just tossed around
a lot of ideas,
and I think the second meeting,
we were still trying
to get through some
of the particulars
and we just decided,
let's do it.
Let's get something started.
Let's try and make
an impact on this.
And it's growing
and it's made, I think,
a fantastic difference.
Pharmacists are the most
accessible health profession
that's out there.
And because of that,
being an accessible
healthcare professional,
it's a place where many,
many people in the state go to,
if not weekly,
on a monthly basis.
So the logical place to get
rid of the medications
is actually at the pharmacy.
And it is as simple as people
taking their unwanted drugs,
taking them to the pharmacy.
If they need help sorting
through them,
the pharmacist will do that
for them.
These are pharmacies that are
available in grocery stores,
certainly pharmacies.
So the disposal sites are
readily available to people.
We are very interested that
they be disposed of properly,
and so we are very
grateful to them
that they so very readily
paired with us,
understood the importance
of it,
and have truly partnered with us
in promoting this program
and in spreading information
about it
and making the service
available to their customers.
Pharmacists needed to
have a program that was
very regimented,
very well controlled,
and absolutely
no room for error.
No pharmacist, and we, did
not want to be involved
in something that we could
not explicitly say,
"We're picking up this"
and proving that we're
disposing of it.
And I've been very amazed
at the number and the growth
of the Yellow Jug program
here in the state.
And pharmacists have
reported back to us
that they appreciate
how the program operates,
and more importantly the fact
that they're providing
an opportunity for people
to get rid of
the unwanted medications.
When this program first
started four years ago,
I think I was thinking
very locally;
that this was a wonderful thing
we were bringing
to Northeast Michigan.
And now, it is a full statewide
program in Michigan
and we have extended out
through the states of Wisconsin
and Illinois as well
and plan to encompass
all the Great Lake states
and beyond.
The Yellow Jug program,
I feel, should and could
be used in every state.
And that is my hope for,
that it does spread
to every state
in the United States.
It is a unique program.
There's no other program
like it in our whole country
in that it is statewide,
it is sustainable,
it is ongoing,
it's safe collection,
and the medications
are disposed of
in the best technology we have
available to us today.
I'm very happy to be a part
of the Yellow Jug program
because I feel it's
a proactive program,
helping prevent something
instead of having to go in
and clean something up.
We're really trying to
help minimize contamination
because once it's in the
environment,
it's a lot harder to do.
So prevention is really what
needs to be done
because if you treat...
Treatment is kind of your
last resort kind of thing.
You want to prevent versus
having to treat with it
after it's already there.
When I think of it in
very relevant terms --
like what does this
drug collection mean,
what has it done?
We have, to date, in the
last four years collected
and properly disposed of
32 tons of pharmaceuticals.
So what I see for this program
is that it will become
more or less a household term,
that people will understand
that they have resources.
I think Yellow Jug Old Drug
will become a verb
that people use, that we can
Yellow Jug Old Drug
these substances.
And I think it will become
very commonplace
that people will understand
very widely
that this is a resource
available to them,
not only available but that
they should utilize
this resource any time
they're disposing
of pharmaceuticals
of any sort,
whether it's
an over-the-counter drug
or whether it's
a prescribed medication,
that they all need to be
disposed of properly.
One step that folks could
take today is to go home
and look at their
medicine cabinet.
And if there are medications
in there that they're not using,
that they no longer need,
to collect those medications up
and take them
to a local pharmacy
that's participating
in the Yellow Jug program.
Moving forward,
it will take all of us --
students, pharmacists,
doctors, outdoor enthusiasts
caregivers,
people themselves
who are disposing of these drugs
-- to actually it.
If you're wondering where
the nearest pharmacy is to you
that has, participates with
the Yellow Jug Old Drug program,
you can go on the website,
www.greatlakescleanwater.org,
and there is a map
that you can click on
that will show you where
the nearest pharmacy is
in the county that you reside.
I would hope to see us
five years from now,
that it's, "Of course
I would dispose
of my medication
in an appropriate way."
That's what I would hope
to see is that
it becomes commonplace.
Okay, raise your hand
if you drink water.
We all drink water.
We all should be
supporting this.
You know, this is an issue.
There's no left,
there's no right,
there's no blue,
there's no red.
This is something we are
all concerned about
and it's something
that we all agree on.
We probably deal
with 30, 40 people a week
who bring medications
in here.
We're all very conscious
about the environment
and this is a huge part
of it.
And the consumer and the
patient feel very good
about being able to dispose
of this in the proper way.
From our standpoint, it
gives us another opportunity
to talk with patients about
these issues
and solve some problems.
Up until recently,
pharmacy students
were not being educated on
the proper disposal of drugs.
I actually have not received
any formal education
on this issue.
We haven't touched upon
this topic at all.
It is a really important part
of their educational experience.
We have made it a priority
to do lectures and talks
at pharmacy schools,
and we hope that in the future
this will become a part
of their regular curriculum.
Thousands of kids have caught
their first fish here,
and it's a wonderful,
wonderful thing to witness.
And then to show them where
their food comes from,
what type of water that
that food is raised in,
and how important that
that water is to the health
of that fish
and how important
that the health of that fish
is to their body
and it's just a wonderful
circle to show them.
It's all very important
for becoming a good steward
of our natural resources.
Well, I would hope that
the public gets on board
with this,
the word gets out
through Great Lakes
Clean Water Organization.
It's the right thing to do.
Research has indicated
that behavior change occurs
when, in relationship to how
we view with other people
that we know.
And so it's really important
to have these conversations
with your friends,
your family, your colleagues.
I'd just like to say that
we're very, very proud
to be partners
with the Great Lakes
Clean Water Organization.
And as far as
I'm concerned,
they're true environmentalists.
I connect with this problem
very personally
and I think of our own life here
and our history here
at our cabin;
that this has been handed down
and generation after generation
has carefully cared for it
and has passed it on
to the next generation.
And we not only assume,
we expect that each generation
will care for it and have
the same regard for it.
In the same way,
we need to protect
our natural resources
and, principally, our water.
And we not only currently,
this generation
and the people here now,
today, need to care for it
and safeguard it,
but we need to pass
that responsibility on
to generations to come.
It does give us life.
It gives all of
our trout life.
It then gives you life.
And it's just a beautiful
circle of life
that we don't take for granted
and could not have that circle
without that water.
Well you need water to survive
and so, I mean,
it's certainly water quantity
is an issue in some areas,
but water quality is
another issue.
So the more that we put
our stamp on the environment,
the more potential there
is to degrade the water.
From our standpoint here
in the pharmacy,
we fully support
the Yellow Jug Old Drugs
and would encourage patients
to look into it
if they're looking
to dispose of old drugs.
Find a participating pharmacy
and let's help try and protect
the Great Lakes.
Let's get ahead
of the curve.
Let's be proactive on this
one so it doesn't become
a huge environmental
negative issue.
No matter where you live,
no matter what age group
you are in,
it impacts everybody.
This is vital to all of us
as water is vital to our life
and our vitality and
our own sustainability.
This program is vital
to everybody.
My hope for the future
is that the thought
of pouring medication
down the toilet
will be unheard of;
that the Yellow Jug
would be recognizable
on site to everyone.
Everyone's going to know
about keeping our water safe
and pure as it can be.
It's possible.
And that would be my hope
for the future.
♪ ♪
