A measure that would prohibit health care facilities from discharging prescription drugs into public wastewater systems is making its way through the New Jersey Legislature.

Assemblyman Tim Eustace is concerned about how hospitals get rid of unwanted medications.

“They’re permitted by the FDA to dump a whole class of pharmaceuticals into toilets or sinks including lots of morphine derivative drugs. We don’t need any of it in the water supply.”

Neil Eicher with the New Jersey Hospital Association says his members are in compliance with federal regulations for getting rid of drugs.
He says there are 30 medications the DEA recommends disposing by dumping down the drain.

“The DEA wants to make sure that these prescription medications do not get in the hands of abusers. My understanding is it’s a small portion of a hospital’s day to day interaction with medication so I don’t think it’s that great amount of medication.”

Sponsors of the legislation say they want to prevent drugs that are flushed away from ending up in the water supply. They’re urging that those unwanted medications be incinerated. Hospitals say new requirements would increase their costs and cause financial hardship.