As one of the most pristine supplies of drinking water in the United States, the Biscayne Aquifer provides safe drinking water to Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department (PBCWUD) customers living in the eastern part of the County. The wells in which PBCWUD draws water from the Biscayne Aquifer are not only far enough inland to avoid saltwater intrusion and the porous limestone surrounding the aquifer serves as a natural filter that removes contaminants found in many surface water sources.

However, an increasing threat to the purity of the aquifer can be found in nearly every home in Palm Beach County, as unused and unneeded medicines are beginning to find their way into water sources throughout the United States.

Medications are a part of everyday life for much of the population as recent studies have shown that nearly 60 percent of Americans take at least one prescription drug. Add in the readily available over-the-counter medicines and the percentage rises even higher. With the abundance of medicines sold each year, the question arises as to what to do with all of the leftover medications once they are no longer needed. In the past, many flushed the unneeded leftovers down the drain or mixed the medications with coffee grounds or kitty litter, making the drugs unusable as they were disposed in the trash.

The problem with sending medicine down the drain, whether via a sink or the toilet, comes as the wastewater treatment processes cannot remove the compounds that comprise the medications. Likewise, medicines that are disposed of in the trash also eventually breakdown and dissolve in rainwater.

In both instances, the remaining compounds find their way back into the environment. In certain parts of the country, the compounds have been found in surface water, such as lakes, where fish have shown signs of stress and ambiguous sexual maturation. Research has also shown that the compounds, in the right mixture, can also cause cancer, birth defects and developmental disorders in humans and wildlife alike.

It is important to note that the compounds haven't been found in the Biscayne Aquifer and that the drinking water supplied by PBCWUD is safe to drink, as evidenced by the department's Annual Water Quality Report, which can be found on the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department website, pbcwater.com.

However, this doesn't mean precautions shouldn't be taken to ensure that an issue doesn't arise in the future. Today the preferred method of disposing of these medications is to drop them off at one of the environmentally-friendly drop box locations around Palm Beach County. Drop box locations can be found on the Palm Beach County Pill Drop website, pbcdrop.org.

By properly disposing of old or unneeded medicines, you can help ensure the health of those around you while also doing your part to keep the Biscayne Aquifer safe for decades to come.