Modern medicine is working day and night to give mankind a pill to cure just about everything, but when used or disposed of improperly those same drugs can do even more harm.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, a nationwide study done in 1999 and 2000 by the United States Geological Survey found low levels of drugs such as antibiotics, hormones, contraceptives and steroids in 80 percent of the rivers and streams tested. That’s why Kenmore Mercy hosted its recent Community Pharmaceutical Drop-off, collecting and disposing of nearly 600 pounds of medications. Hospital officials estimate the street value of those drugs at $40,000, making it the most successful area program thus far.

“The Pharmaceutical Drop-off allowed us to take unused prescription medications out of area households and prevent them from ending up in garbage dumps, polluting the water or in the hands of our children,” said Frank Heinrich, a pharmacist at Kenmore Mercy.

Heinrich said a range of health concerns can arise from keeping outdated or unused prescription drugs in the home, including street-level drug dealing, abuse by those without a prescription or unintentional overdoses by curious children.

But disposing drugs improperly by flushing them down the toilet can be just as bad. That raises the levels of chemicals in drinking water since municipal water purification systems can’t filter out all of those substances. Traces of everything from heart medication to birth control pill hormones are turning up in tests of the drinking water coming from faucets around the country, and Congressional hearings were held on the subject in September 2008.

How consuming those medications in trace amounts over a lifetime will affect the population is still unknown as the Environmental Protection Agency has only begun to study the problem. But humans aren’t the only possible victims of ecological contamination. The DEC’s Web site claims a number of studies have shown impacts on aquatic life.

“For example, male fish have been feminized (produced eggs) when exposed to hormones (birth control pills). Other drugs, such as anti-depressants and beta-blockers, reduce fertility or affect spawning in certain aquatic organisms,” the site said.

The constant exposure to antibiotic drugs could also allow more drug-resistant bacteria to develop when stronger strains survive and multiply.

To prevent the continuance of all these problems and more, the DEC recommends dropping drugs off at collection events or putting them in the garbage. More information on how to properly dispose of prescription drugs is available at www.dontflushyourdrugs.net.

Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.