Sensible Disposal of Unwanted Medicines - New York Sea Grant

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16What are the issues?Optional:Take-home assignmentAsk youth to continue their research about properdisposal of medicines, particularly with respect tolocal regulations. They might find answers through:• Interviewing knowledgeable community memberssuch as pharmacists, doctors, nurses, etc.• Interviewing a scientist who works in this area(in person or via e-mail)• Library research – ask a librarian for assistanceInterviews can occur in person, by e-mail, or telephone.If physicians, nurses, vets, or pharmacistsare to be interviewed, youth may need to make anappointment to visit an office or pharmacy. Theymight be able to get information from staff or employeesat a hospital or clinic. Note: Youth shouldnot interview people at nursing homes or retirementhomes because there are special regulations in placethat do not apply to residential medicine disposal.Note for next week: Plan to take some time at thestart of the following session to discuss any informationthat youth learn from this assignment.You can do this briefly or have them work inteams and combine their responses.> InstructorWhile I collect your flip charts, take 5-10 minutesto reflect on what you did today, what you learned,and what questions you have. Write about this experiencein your journal. Date your page entry.Journaling is a great way for youth to process whatthey have learned. By asking whether they havequestions after they have had some time to write,you may stimulate a brief discussion of future projectactivities and/or alert you to where more informationis needed. It is useful if you can have asmall notebook or another special place or way forthe students to keep their personal notes. Collectthe journals between meetings to review what theyouth learned or to make note of questions thatthey did not share. Collect the journals to ensurethat youth will have them for the next meeting.Note for next week: Post the flip chart sheets forthe next meeting as a reminder of this activity.Evaluation• How many types of information were gathered?• How many sources of information were used?• If there are multiple teams, where were reportssimilar? Where did they differ? Why?• What types of final questions did the youth have?• What knowledge was gained?Share Your KnowledgeYouth can share what they learned during thissession in many ways. Some examples follow:• Speech and demonstrations (including Actiondemonstrations)• Information display boards• Jr. Leader activities• Mentoring a younger 4-H memberReferences• Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program—Disposal ofUnwanted Medicines: A Resource for Action inYour Community at www.iisgcp.org/unwantedmeds. Appendix D in this 4-H guide providesbackground information from this site’s Introductionsection.• Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program—Educationwebpage with links to this 4-H Guide and TheMedicine Chest, a high school service-learningcurriculum linked at www.iisgcp.org/education/gros_educ.htmlScience StandardsAppendix CLife SkillsAcquiring knowledge, communicating with others,and teamwork.Success IndicatorsYouth understand that our lack of knowledgeabout the impacts of unused and expired medicineshas led to water quality concerns. So, whilewe do not “blame” people for the water qualityproblems we are having now, we do need to educatepeople to properly dispose of unused and expiredmedicines in the future.
What should I be concerned about?17General Objective• Learn what medicines have been found in theenvironment.Specific ObjectivesYouth will:• Learn what water contaminants are of primaryconcern.• Understand the harm that medicines can causein our waterways.TimeOne hourResources needed• Computer access• Markers• Flip charts• JournalActivityYouth will use online resources to learn about themedicines of primary concern (based on our currentknowledge) to our water resources. They willcompile the knowledge they gain into a report toacknowledge contaminants that have been foundin water in their community.InstructionsGather materials and resources for students to usefor research and discovery. Students will work ontheir own or in groups of two, using numeroussources for their reports. These instructions can beread before they begin to work, written on theboard, or projected on an overhead.> InstructorAs we discussed at the last session, a lack ofknowledge has led to improper disposal of medicines.These medicines can harm the environment.Today we will study what contaminantshave been found in our water. Let’s take a fewminutes to consider the following questions:1. Are over-the-counter medicines harmful to theenvironment?2. Are prescription medicines harmful to the environment?3. Do personal care products such as hairspray,soap, or contact solution harm the environment?4. Are human sources the only ones we need toworry about? Where else are medicines used?Give the students time to discuss possibleanswers to these questions before they begindoing any research. Encourage them to rememberhow contaminants get into the environment(through water and soil). Use anymethod that works well with your learners.For example, you might write the questionson the board and ask learners to reply to eachor have a general discussion of each question.> InstructorNow that you have thought about these questionsand have some ideas, we will do some research tosee what the experts say. Today, we’ll be lookingfor government data and national news stories onthese topics. I’d like you to use the followingwebsites to find information:• www.epa.gov/ppcp - U.S. EPA: see the BasicInformation tab and the poster, Origins and Fateof PPCPs in the Environment (PDF), at the bottomof that page.• www.iisgcp.org/unwantedmeds -Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program: Disposal ofUnwanted Medicines: A Resource for Action inYour Community; Chapter 1, Introduction andBackground – see the PDF Introduction file fora wealth of information.• http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/pharm_watershed/ - United States Geology Survey(USGS): Toxic Substances Hydrology Program—“Are Pharmaceuticals in Your Watershed?...”and other related headlines from USGS• www.productstewardship.us - Product StewardshipInstitute: Click on the Products tab—then click on “Pharmaceuticals.”
Page 1: A curriculum developed tohelp youth
Page 4 and 5: 2AuthorsNatalie CarrollPurdue Unive
Page 6 and 7: 4> Note to the InstructorThank you
Page 8 and 9: 6So, what’s the big deal?Crop Pro
Page 10 and 11: 8So, what’s the big deal?Soil Abs
Page 12 and 13: 10So, what’s the big deal?> Instr
Page 14: 12So, what’s the big deal?• Did
Page 17: What are the issues? 15• Youth ma
Page 21 and 22: What should I be concerned about? 1
Page 23 and 24: What are my options?21General Objec
Page 25 and 26: What are my options?23ences we want
Page 27 and 28: How can I let others know about the
Page 29 and 30: Appendix B. Unwanted Medications:A
Page 31 and 32: Appendix C. Science Standards29Nati
Page 33 and 34: Appendix C. Science Standards 31Nat
Page 35 and 36: Appendix C. Science Standards 33Ill
Page 37 and 38: Appendix C. Science Standards35Indi
Page 39 and 40: Appendix D. Background Information
Page 47 and 48: Appendix E. Poster and ExhibitGuide
Page 49 and 50: Appendix E. Poster and Exhibit Guid
Page 51 and 52: The Medicine ChestA collection of s

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