A new round of collections for outdated or unneeded medications in the Milwaukee area comes this month as the community responds to two recent deaths of young people linked to abuse of prescription drugs.

The pill collections that have been touted as a way to protect rivers and lakes from contamination are now also seen as an important tool in preventing drug abuse as a growing number of youths turn to medicine cabinets in homes as sources of pills of all kinds, Milwaukee Police Capt. Anthony Smith said.

"I don't know if other drugs are becoming harder to get a hold of, or if they think they won't get into trouble for taking a prescription drug," Smith said.

He endorses collection programs like those scheduled in four counties April 18 as one method to help reduce substance abuse.

In Cudahy, where nine overdose deaths occurred last year, city officials have established a year-round collection program.

Milwaukee County's collection site on April 18 will be at Miller Park again this year. Smith will have police officers there, though the public will not meet them at the drop-off.

"When you drive up, you hand medicines to a pharmacist," he said. "No questions asked. If it is a controlled substance, the pharmacist will give it to a police officer."

Pharmaceutical drugs, ointments, inhalers, creams, sprays and pet medications will be accepted at collection sites. Do not bring illegal drugs, needles, biohazardous material, pesticides or other hazardous waste, or sunscreens, shampoos and other personal care products.

In April 2008, a one-day collection in the same four counties gathered 3.5 tons of unused medication from 2,000 people, according to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, a sponsor of the event.

New Cudahy collection

Cudahy is the first community in the Milwaukee metropolitan area to offer a weekday collection service throughout the year. Residents can bring unwanted medications to the Police Department inside city hall, 5050 S. Lake Drive, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Mayor Ryan McCue said.

"We've had a very positive response from the community," McCue said. The service began March 30.

Madison Kiefer, a 15-year-old Whitefish Bay girl with a history of drug abuse, died of an overdose of two prescription drugs, and the death of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student Luke David Murphy is believed to be a result of mixing Alcohol and a prescription drug.

Cudahy Police Chief Thomas Poellot said his department's investigations into overdose deaths revealed that many youths are experimenting with prescription pills. He said the daily collection in Cudahy would "decrease the availability of those drugs to children and provide a safe method of disposal."

Environmental protection

A legislative committee is holding a hearing on April 15 in Milwaukee to listen to testimony on the public health and environmental benefits of safe disposal of pharmaceuticals, said state Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee).

The purpose of the hearing "is to find out the best way our state can keep pharmaceuticals out of the Great Lakes, out of our drinking water, and out of reach of children and teenagers," said Carpenter, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Health, Senior Issues, Long-Term Care and Job Creation.

Rebecca Klaper, an assistant scientist at the Great Lakes WATER Institute on Milwaukee's inner harbor, said ongoing studies of fathead minnows exposed to extremely low concentrations of pharmaceutical drugs in water confirm that the compounds disrupt reproduction in fish. Those studies also have raised a new concern.

"Pharmaceuticals in the water can affect behavior, particularly the ability of a fish to move -- to catch prey or to get away from predators," she said.

MMSD Executive Director Kevin Shafer said that people should never flush medications down toilets or pour them down sink drains. Sewage treatment plants do not remove the compounds from wastewater and the chemicals are discharged to Lake Michigan.

Even diluted concentrations of the medications can damage health of fish, frogs and other aquatic species, Shafer said. Antibiotics released to the environment also might contribute to the emergence of drug-resistant germs.

Other than collections, the public can discard medications into the garbage, Shafer said. One drawback to that is the opportunity for someone to reach into a Dumpster and remove the pill containers so the drugs can be sold on the street.

Shafer recommends grinding up a pill or tablet, then mixing it with coffee grounds or dissolving it in a container with water and cat litter.

Pill collection day

Medicine Collection Day is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 18 at the following locations:

- Milwaukee County: Miller Park at the Miller lot south of Selig Drive, adjacent to the Sausage Haus.

- Racine County: City of Racine's Household Hazardous Waste facility, 6200 21st St., off state Highway 31, Racine; Western Racine County Health Department, 156 E. State St., Burlington.

- Washington County: St. Joseph's Hospital, 3200 Pleasant Valley Road, Town of Polk.

- Ozaukee County: Ozaukee County Highway Department, 410 S. Spring St., Port Washington; Milwaukee Area Technical College, 5555 W. Highland Road, Mequon.

State hearing

The state Senate Committee on Public Health, Senior Issues, Long- Term Care and Job Creation has scheduled an April 15 hearing on safe disposal of medications.

Invited speakers will discuss pharmaceutical contamination of the Great Lakes and abuse of prescription drugs by children and teens.