Don't Drink the Water?

No, not some third world country with inadequate sanitation needs. Right here in Chicago!

• The City of Chicago is fine tuning a program designed to keep old prescription drugs from ending up in the area’s water supply.
  
  Officials say they’re harmless, but traces of pharmaceuticals have been found in Chicago’s drinking water. Alderman wants to see city residents to have a better way of disposing of their prescription drugs than flushing them down the toilet. So, the City’s getting a federal grant to create a safe disposal system.

And guess where they're going to have disposal pick up points? We'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count:

• Chicago Aldermen and City officials agree they don't want people flushing their expired prescription drugs down the toilet, and some—like North Side Alderman Marge Laurino—suggest setting up receiving boxes for old pharmaceuticals at police and fire stations.
  
  But, city Environment Commissioner Suzanne Malec-McKenna says the law requires police to be around whenever controlled substances are turned in, so Fire stations are out.

Fantastic! We're going to have all sorts of substances (controlled, toxic, expired, and who-knows-what) collected in what? Vaults? Flag disposal boxes? Who's liable if some junkie or homeless guy swipes a bunch of crap? Or someone dumps a leaky container inside the vault and creates some toxic brew?

Does OSHA want to weigh in on this one? Or the FOP Safety Committee? Before the City starts installing SHARPS containers and some low bid Chinese made cardboard "safe" in the lobby?

And before anyone says we're complaining and not contributing to the solution, here's a link to the Illinois EPA that lists collection points all over the State, County and City that collect not only hazardous waste, but unwanted medicines with a handy schedule. Just because some Daley relative needs another municipal contract supplying medical waste containers doesn't mean we have to use police stations as dumping grounds.