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Bridget M. Kuehn

JAMA. 2007;297:1307.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

New guidelines for the disposal of unused or expired medications call on patients to take several precautions to avoid the diversion of these drugs and to protect water sources. The guidelines were released in February by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency (http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/factsht/proper_disposal.html).

Federal officials are urging individuals to take certain steps to prevent drug diversion or enviromental contamination caused by improperly discarded prescription drugs. (Photo credit: Sandy Jones/iStockphoto.com)

The guides urge individuals to

• Remove the drugs from their original containers before disposal.
  
• Mix the drugs with undesirable substances such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, place them in nondescript sealed containers, and throw them in the trash (a measure to help prevent diversion or accidental ingestion by children or pets).
  
• Flush prescription drugs down the toilet . . . [Full Text of this Article]