As the days of summer weather come to an end in Seattle, the season of sniffles, pains and headaches begins. The combination of cold, wet weather and fresh schoolwork can break down even the most resilient student’s immune system. But how many of us consider what happens to the over-the-counter remedies that get us through the day?

Last spring, an investigation by the Associated Press found that 46 million Americans might be consuming water contaminated with pharmaceutical products. Chemicals ranging from cholesterol medicines to nicotine derivatives were discovered in the drinking water supplies of several major population centers. While nothing was detected in Seattle’s water supplies, our friends down south were not so lucky. Portland’s water supply tested positive for six different drugs, including acetaminophen, caffeine and ibuprofen.

While there are many different ways these compounds get into our water supply, one major component is the manner in which we dispose of our old or unused medicine. The Northwest Research Group conducted a survey of King County residents in 2006 regarding discarded drugs. They found that 20 percent of residents flushed unwanted pharmaceuticals down the drain while 52 percent simply threw them away. Both options can lead to pharmeceuticals ending up in our region’s bodies of water.

Pharmaceutical consumption is increasing nationwide. Prescription purchases increased by 68 percent between 1994 and 2004. In 2006, there were 56.8 million prescriptions sold in Washington State, which comes out to approximately nine medications per resident.

The threat of significant contamination of our water supply by pharmaceutical products is growing every year.

However, the future is not hopeless. In the same way that Seattle and King County are leaders in recycling, we are pioneering the proper disposal of medications. Seattleites are not opposed to proper disposal of unwanted medicine. In the Northwest Research Group survey, 74 percent said they would correctly dispose of old drugs if provided a convenient location and 84 percent stated that a local pharmacy would be the most convenient. State and county leaders must have been listening.

In 2006, several state and county agencies partnered with Group Health and Bartell Drugs pharmacies to provide convenient drop-off locations for unwanted drugs. The pilot program, called PH:ARM, covers six counties and has collected more than 6,000 pounds of waste medicine to date.

The pilot has been so successful that legislation is pending in Olympia to expand the program statewide. The bill calls for a product stewardship program that holds pharmaceutical companies responsible for the proper disposal of old drugs. The proposed program is similar to laws implemented in British Columbia and Australia dealing with the disposal of unwanted medicine.

Previous Seattle city leaders had the foresight to prevent significant development in the Cascade Range, Tolt and Cedar River watersheds, ensuring a clean supply of water to the city. These efforts may go to waste if we ignore the problems associated with discarded medicines. Rather than react to an environmental catastrophe, the proposed drug ‘take-back’ program gives us the opportunity to prevent the problem in the first place.

Let’s not wait to find ibuprofen in Puget Sound before we deal with discarded pharmaceuticals.

Reach columnist Mike Noon at opinion@dailyuw.com.