We have had a death in the family and don't know how to dispose of all the "leftover" medications. I know it's considered toxic and should not place it in the garbage or sewer.

First of all, I'm very sorry for your loss. Second, I think it's great that you're putting thought into what to do with the leftover medications. I've never given this much thought, but after reading an article in the paper on Sept. 7 about male fish that produce their own eggs because of estrogen in the water, I'm realizing that there's more to the issue than just making sure the wrong people don't get their hands on prescription drugs.

As Kevin Miller of the city of Napa Recycling Division told me, even though we think about throwing things away, there's really "no such thing as 'away.'" Everything we toss lives on in a landfill somewhere. Even though landfills have protection, such as liners to keep chemicals from seeping into the earth, "they're not infallible," said Miller.

There are two ways to dispose of unwanted medications. You can take them to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection facility at 889A Devlin Road, north of American Canyon. It's open Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can bring your old batteries and used cotton balls soaked in nail polish remover, too.

Another option is to take pharmaceutical waste to Raley's, which has a company that disposes of it in a safe way. Long's, Rite Aid and Queen of the Valley Hospital's pharmacies won't take meds back, but Kaiser will -- Kaiser members only.

The Napa Sanitation District's Web site, napasanitationdistrict.com, has guidelines for getting rid of unwanted medications.

Why can't we flush unwanted medications anymore?

Flushing the medications used to be the preferred way to dispose of them, to prevent accidental ingestion by kids or animals. The NSD Web site doesn't recommend flushing because it can cause "pollution in wastewater." Further, the Web site states, "when the water is eventually reused, it can also cause unintentional human exposure to chemicals in medications." Yick!

NSD General Manager Michael Abramson put it this way, "We're all downstream." There's a limited amount of water in the world. The water we use to flush the toilet gets treated and eventually is reused. The U.S. Geological Survey tested in 1999/2000 for pharmaceutical traces in 95 waterways in the U.S., including San Francisco Bay. It found some traces of pharmaceuticals in 80 percent of the samples they took. Acetaminaphen was in 24 percent of the samples, a hormone found in birth control pills was found in 16 percent, blood pressure medication was in 13 percent and antibiotics and antimicrobials were found in 10 percent.

The California Department of Health Services states that discharge of hazardous wastes into the sewer system is prohibited. "Wastewater treatment plants are designed to remove conventional pollutants such as suspended solids and easily biodegradable organic matter, not other pollutants such as pharmaceuticals."

I talked to Phil Brun, water division general manager for the city of Napa, who said this is an emerging issue, and as it evolves he expects the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate specific pharmaceutical wastes and require tests. He said he's concerned about the waste making its way into the sources of Napa's drinking water: Lake Hennessey, Lake Milliken and the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta.

The EPA doesn't regulate a lot of these chemicals, said Luisa Valiela, who works in the water division at the EPA, but the agency is researching how to detect these pharmaceuticals in the water. Once detection methods are nailed down, regulation will follow, she said. Valiela also said that -- while the problem with fish has been established -- there haven't been any reports of humans being affected by pharmaceuticals in the water supply.

What is Glad You Asked?

Glad You Asked attempts to answer readers' questions. If you've got a question that you can't seem to safely get rid of, send it to me at jdecker@napanews.com or 256-2215. I'll track down the answer, even if it leads me in a circle, and let you know.