Students Provide Brain Power to Keep Old Medicines Out of Waterways

A fall course at the University of Illinois is preparing a team of students to educate local college and high school students about the proper disposal of old pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). The class, led by colleagues at the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program working with Wei Zheng and Nancy Holm of ISTC, is one component of the grant titled "PPCPs: Extending Knowledge and Mitigation Strategies” that began in July as a partnership with U of I Extension and ISTC. The students are learning that how we choose to use and dispose of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) affects water quality. They are studying the impact of the many compounds – some of which are bioactive or toxic – that enter the environment, including from improper disposal. Part of the university’s Learning in Community program (LINC), the students are gaining practical work experience developing outreach materials to educate the public about PPCPs as well as marketing and advertising campaigns to emphasize the importance of disposing unwanted medicines in secure collection boxes at area police stations.